


Dying Secrets

by BleedingSparkles



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Joker and Harley Quinn - Fandom
Genre: Discussion of Abortion, F/M, Family Drama, Harley Quinn (DCU) - Freeform, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Joker (DCU) - Freeform, Original Character(s), Unplanned Pregnancy, concept merging, dying infant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 25,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23286298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BleedingSparkles/pseuds/BleedingSparkles
Summary: After The Jokers incident with the titan toxin and the mutated sickness, Harley discovers that she is pregnant. Believing that he doesn't know, she goes into hiding to keep it a secret from him. unfortunately things don't go as smoothly as she had hoped because something seems to be wrong with the child, and the only one who has the answers is the very person she's hiding from.
Relationships: Joker (DCU) /Harley Quinn
Comments: 13
Kudos: 82





	1. Chapter 1

Harley Quinn stood against the wall of the cracked bathroom, staring in shock at the dreaded white stick that had just revealed news that would change her life. She had speculated this for a while, but just couldn’t find the nerve to see whether or not it was true. Not to mention she had a sick and dying Joker to look after, she just didn’t have the time.

She had seen him do some pretty reckless antics over the years, but she didn’t think he would go as far to inject himself with homemade, mutated titan toxin. The immediate effects didn’t kill him, neither did the transformation back to his old self. The after effects however, were killing him and fast. 

It was a very hectic few weeks from that point on; trying to hunt down a cure and in the end forcing Batman to help, along with her starting to feel ill herself, with unusual symptoms no less. But the important thing is at least The Joker did get better, Nobody was sure if he was going to make it. He went straight back to doing his usual thing after that, while Harley faced her current fear of diagnosing her problem.

She continued to blink down at the object, hoping the results would change. But unfortunately they remained the same, even after almost ten minutes had past. She wasn’t sure if this was what she wanted, a few years ago maybe, but now was a different story. She was more aware of the dangers of their lifestyle then before, and it made her views on wanting a family with The Joker less appealing. She knew that she wasn’t going to reach some epiphany right now as she has a staring contest with the inanimate object, so she took in a deep breath, chucked the stick in the small bin behind the door and left to properly think about it. 

She spent a good few days deciding what to do, she wanted to weigh all her options. She quickly realised that the options revolved around one key element, whether or not she should tell The Joker. He was more than likely to dislike the idea of keeping it, even Harley wasn’t a big fan of the idea herself as she didn’t want to raise a child in their environment. Her next option is to get rid of it without telling The Joker, or tell the Joker and have him tell her to get rid of it. That was the more realistic set of options, but she wasn’t sure if she could actually do such a thing even under influence. The third option was adoption; The Joker probably wouldn’t see a point in that one so she knew he would favour the previous choices. The problem was that this seemed like her best bet, she even had a sister she could give it to, she couldn’t have children of her own after all.

She eventually reached a verdict; she would go and stay with her family, have the baby and let it be raised by her sister. The only thing she had left to consider was should she tell The Joker, or let him live blissfully unaware that he has a child. She was torn, she knew it would be wrong to not tell him, but on the other hand perhaps it would be for the better. His anger issues would be dangerous around a baby, as they are not for those with a thin patience. That and his intense obsession with batman would prevent him from giving a child attention, if he had to choose between the two it’s obvious which one he would pick. 

In the end she chose to keep him out of it, it was a very panicked decision that should probably be given more time, but she felt like she didn’t have long to dwell on what to do in case he got suspicious. One morning she hastily packed a large suitcase full of everything she felt that she needed, with shaking hands at the end of her and Jokers bed. Her heart was racing with adrenaline by the time she was done, and she had to try and compose herself before going in to see The Joker. She at least knew it would be best to tell him that she was going. 

When she peered into his dimly lit study he was scribbling away at his desk like usual.  
“Mr J?” she lightly called as she carefully approached.  
“What do you want?” he responded without looking up,  
“I need to go visit my family for a while” she admitted as calmly as she could once at his desk. When he didn’t acknowledge this she moved around next to him, leaned in and kissed him tenderly on the cheek, “I’ll see you when I get back.”  
The Joker mealy grunted in response. She sighed to herself dismally as she straightened back up and headed for the door, giving him one last glance when she reached the exit, just to see if he’d looked up, but nothing. 

....

“Harley!” The Joker shouted later on that day as he searched the cluttered kitchen for food, “where is that girl?” he grumbled angrily when he was met with silence. He had a brief look around for her after not finding anything to eat, while continuing to call her name but the entire funhouse was quite. He stood near the main entrance, puzzled and in thought until Rocco happened to walk in to pass through. 

“Rocco!” he shouted, startling the henchman. “Have you seen Harley?”  
“Harley?” he repeated in confusion, “She left this morning in some kind of hurry, along with a suitcase.”  
The Joker squinted his eyes as he looked to the side, “Oh yeah, she did mention something about leaving this morning” he recollected. He finally shrugged to himself before turning and marching off in the direction of his room. 

He was now in the bathroom, searching for his hair products. He hadn’t got round to gelling his hair back that morning because he had come up with a new plan in his sleep, and had to quickly write it all down before he forgot it. He usually kept it either by the sink or on the shelf next to the mirror, but it wasn’t in either of those places. He growled under his breath knowing that Harley had probably moved it. It was then that he spotted the familiar bottle in his reflection behind him, standing in plain sight on top of the cabinet. He huffed at it when he turned around as if it was mocking him, before proceeding to grab it. Unfortunately he knocked off his hair mouse in doing so, which fell directly into the bin below with a thud. 

He narrowed his eyes at the bin which hadn’t yet been emptied. “You have got to be kidding me” he mumbled angrily, “first she just up and leaves out of the blue without getting shopping, and now she hasn’t even emptied the bin.” He dumped the gel back on the sink before crouching down to look for his rouge product. After fishing it out, he turned his nose up at the sight of a bunch of clumped up, wet tissue that had attached itself to it, along with a long white stick. At first glance it appeared to be some sort of tooth brush as he carefully pulled it away from the tissue, but after further inspection, that is not what it was at all and his eyes grew wide. He dropped the tissue and mouse back into the bin carelessly with his eyes still glued to the test and stood up.

“Oh Harley” he breathed with disappointment as he continued to stare. He was very much aware that this thing was no doubt the reason for Harley’s sudden need to leave, and it was obvious that she was trying to keep it from him. He couldn’t believe she could be so dumb, thinking she can hide such a thing from him. He leaned his body against the cold sink with a sigh and kept reading the results over and over, until he came to a realisation. Not only did it inform him that she was expecting his offspring, but it also told him that she was nine weeks into it. He furrowed his brow with a half-smile, “This could be interesting.”


	2. Chapter 2

Harley felt strange as she walked up the path to her sister’s house, she lived in a quiet suburban area outside of Gotham in a small town. The sun was shining and all you could hear was the birds chirping and the sound of children’s laughter, it almost felt unnerving being somewhere so calm and peaceful. 

Haley wasn’t her only family; she also had her mother and brother, who had a family of his own. Despite this, Haley was the only one she felt that she could turn to about her problem, as she had always been an incredibly caring person. The majority of her family wanted nothing to do with her when she went off with The Joker, Haley was only who tried to see both sides. 

All three of them did really well in school growing up with strong ambitions; Harley wanted her be a psychiatrist, Connor wanted to be a doctor and her sister wanted to be a teacher. Harley always thought her brother’s choice of profession was odd because he wasn’t the most empathetic of people, and being the oldest made him extremely dominating. Harley always just kept to herself and ignored her brother’s behaviour, and Haley was the friendly type who always looked out for people, but being the youngest did turn her into a bit of a push over.

Her brother wasn’t her main worry, he may be stubborn but he had a good heart. The problem was her mother; she was the strict type who worked as a shop manager and pushed them to do well in school, with barely any praise. Her father died in a car accident when the three of them were teenagers, which was typical because they all preferred him to their mother, he was more calm and accepting towards them but was also never around much, he worked as a night shift security guard, so he was always either sleeping or at work. Their mother only became stricter and even developed a temper after he passed, not to mention when she heard about Harley’s drastic career move with The Joker.

Harley knocked on the door hesitantly as she chewed her bottom lip, she hadn’t exactly informed her sister of her arrival. Soon enough, the door opened and she was met with the familiar face. The younger blonde woman blinked at her in astonishment, “…Harley, is that you?”  
She nodded shyly, “Hey sis, did ya miss me?”  
“I haven’t seen you in like three years, what are you doing here?!”  
Harley shifted her gaze briefly, “It’s a long story, can I come in?” 

Haley seemed hesitant as she sighed and looked to the floor, but eventually relented when she regained eye contact and noticed how troubled her sister looked. She moved to the side and Harley silently made her way in and headed towards the living room.  
She collapsed onto the sofa from exhaustion as her sister stood by, awaiting an explanation with her arms folded. “I’m sorry to barge in on you like this, it’s just that I know I can trust you with stuff, you’re not as hard on me as mum and Connor are.”

Haley’s eyes softened slightly and she sat down beside her, “Harley, what’s going on?” she asked with concern.  
Harley sat up straight and took a deep breath before meeting her sister’s gaze, “I’m pregnant.” She hadn’t spoken those words to herself out loud yet, it instantly gave her anxiety as soon as they left her mouth.  
Her sisters hazel eyes widened at her confession, “You’re pregnant?!” Harley merely nodded as her eyes drifted to the lilac painted wall. “Wait, are you still seeing That Joker guy?” she asked quickly.  
“Yep” Harley answered with an empty expression as she stared off.  
“And it’s his?”  
“Yep”  
Haley went silent for a moment as she stared at her sister, “does he know?” she asked slowly,  
“Nope”  
“Do you plan on telling him?”  
“Nope”

Haley frowned at Harley’s empty face before snapping her fingers in front of her, “Hey!”  
She shook her head and blinked a few times before looking back at Haley, “huh?”  
“Why don’t you want to tell him?”  
Harley sighed, “Isn’t it obvious? He’s The Joker”  
Her sister shrugged, “I guess, but none of this explains why you’ve come all this way to see me. Are you after advice?” she asked.  
“I don’t want to get rid of it if that’s your advice” Harley told her sternly.  
“You don’t want to abort the child of a psychopathic killer?”  
“Just because he’s not mentally sound doesn’t mean the child will be too.”  
Haley shrugged again, “I suppose, so what do you want to do?” she asked as she reached for her tea that sat on the coffee table and took a sip.  
Harley paused, “I was hoping you could raise it.”  
The woman instantly spat the liquid back out and coughed repeatedly, “You what?!”  
“Look I know I have no right to ask you to do something like this,” She told her quickly “but I want this baby to grow up normal and if I give it to you it could have that, and I can still be a part of its life.”  
Haley wiped her mouth with a tissue as she sighed heavily, “Harley, I’m not sure, I’m going to need to think about that one.”  
“That’s fine,” Harley accepted while putting a hand on her shoulder. “Can I at least stay with you, I need to lay low?”  
Her sister looked unsure but she silently nodded, “You know mum and Connor aren’t going to be happy about this, and you staying here will mean they’ll end up knowing.”  
Harley sighed with dread, “I know.”

....

“You’re what, now?!” the middle aged brunet woman shouted, “You have to be pulling my leg!”  
“Mum, can you let me explain?” Harley asked frantically as she sat on the sofa. It had been a week since she turned up at her sisters, and her family was quick to show up when they heard the news. But not so thrilled when they heard the reason behind it. 

“No, you listen to me!” her mother, Sophie cut off as she pointed her finger. “You threw your entire life away and left us for that monster, yet you have the audacity to show up after not visiting for three years, claiming that you’re carrying his spawn. Better still; you want to dump it on poor Haley to deal with!” 

Harley stayed silent and looked to floor,  
“Harley, are you going to say anything to that?” Connor asked from the armchair.  
“I’m sorry?” she answered.  
Her mother growled as she folded her arms, “You better march yourself down to that woman’s clinic and dispose of that thing.”  
Harley glared at her, “No, I don’t want to have a ‘you know what’ just because of who the father is.”  
“Why not?” Sophie tested, “You don’t want to keep it, and I don’t think it’s fair to just make Haley have to look after it.”  
“I’d never forgive myself if I went through with the procedure,” Harley admitted with sadness. 

Haley, who had been by the wall stepped in just as her mother was about to start off again, “mum, it’s okay” she eased. Sophie snapped her head in her direction “I don’t mind, I’d be okay with having a child”  
“It isn’t easy” Connor warned her, “And what you’re putting yourself through, Harley isn’t going to be easy either.”  
Harley looked at Connor confused, “you’re okay with this?”  
Her blonde, spiky haired brother sighed, “I get that you don’t want to get rid of it, but don’t expect me to be all over the kid.”  
“Me neither” Their mother agreed,  
Harley looked between the two of them, hurt. “You two really don’t want much to do with your future grandchild and niece or nephew?” she asked, “just because it’s the child of The Joker?”  
They both nodded simultaneously,  
“And don’t you dare say his name in front of us again!” Sophie threatened.  
Harley stared at them in disbelief before standing, “That’s just great” she grumbled sarcastically as she then stormed off upstairs to her room.

She leaned against the door once inside as tears began to appear, “oh Mr J, I wish you were here” she sighed to herself. When little did she know, he may have been closer than she thought.


	3. Chapter 3

“Harley?” Haley called softly as she knocked on the door to the spare bedroom, “can I come in? It had been almost a month since Harley showed up now and she spent almost all of her time inside her room. Haley guessed that it was due to her being uncomfortable here as it’s not what she was used to, that or she was scared to be recognised. She often heard her crying late at night, this was more than likely her hormones acting up and she really wanted to try and comfort her, but unfortunately she didn’t know what to say to her, she wasn’t exactly the same person she grew up with anymore but she still had to do something. 

“Sure” Harley finally answered with little emotion. Haley entered to see her calmly watching TV in black pyjama bottoms and a blue tank top, on her bed with a bag of Doritos by her side. “What’s up?” she asked, muting the screen.   
“I know you’ve been having problems adjusting to you condition,” she began carefully as she approached the bed,  
Harley narrowed her eyes, “No I haven’t” she defended.  
“I hear you crying almost every night” her sister told her with an unimpressed look,  
“So what, I’m dealing with it”  
“By trying to eat your problems away?” she gestured to the food she was eating and the many sweet wrappers that littered the floor,  
Harley just shrugged and shoved more Doritos in her mouth.

Haley folded her arms across her chest, “It’s not good to put on weight when you’re pregnant ya know.” Her sister glared at her in response with her mouth still full. “Anyway, I mentioned this to Jessica and she’s offered to try and help you.”  
Harley quickly swallowed, “Who’s that?”  
Haley sighed and pulled her lips tight, “Connor’s wife.”  
“Oooohhh” Harley recollected as she rolled her head, “why did you tell her and why would I need her help?” she then asked in a hard tone.  
“Because she’s been through two pregnancies and could give you some helpful tips.”  
Harley just frowned at her, “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you telling people about my condition, I can’t have this getting out.”  
Haley’s smile slowly faded at her tone, “Jessica isn’t a blabber mouth, she won’t tell on you, she knows the score.”  
“I don’t even know her, I met her once and that was it”  
“Well I do.” Harley said nothing, she just continued to look displeased. “Harley I wouldn’t have confided in her if I didn’t trust her” Haley told her with more sincerity.  
Her sister huffed, “fine” she finally answered.   
“Great!” Haley smiled, “I’ll get her to come by” she then turned and left the room while Harley watched her suspiciously.

....

“Hello Harley,” the tall wavy haired brunet woman greeted cheerily as she entered the living room with Haley. Despite her sister-in law’s reputation she didn’t dislike her as much as her husband did, in fact she practically pitied her.   
Harley gave her a forced smile from her place on the sofa, “Hey Jessica” She waved lightly as the woman approached and sat down.

Harley had not been looking forward to her arrival, the only time she ever met Jessica was when Connor first introduced her, back when him and Harley were in med school. She was studying childcare while working in a charity shop at the time, Harley found her overly friendly behaviour unsettling and too good to be true, so she always tried to avoid her the best she could. 

“Long time no see” she began while taking her faux pink leather jacket off. Harley just nodded in agreement. “And now you’ve accepted the challenge of pregnancy, how’s it going so far?”  
“So far so good” Harley lied as she drank from her glass of orange juice,  
“Is that so?” Jessica queried with a tilt of the head, “Haley tells me otherwise.”  
Harley sighed as she placed her glass on the coffee table, “So what, I get emotional sometimes, that’s nothing new.”  
“Yes but you being pregnant is, and it will exaggerate everything you’re feeling, and it’s pretty obvious that you’re in a bad mood this morning.”   
Harley furrowed her brow at the woman’s her straight forwardness “Well feeling sick at random has that effect on people” she stated dryly,  
Jessica nodded in understanding, “I do know that the nausea doesn’t always ease, how far along are you now?”   
Harley tilted her head and stared off as she counted on her fingers, “About thirteen or fourteen weeks I think.”

“Ooooh, do you think you’ve gained any weight yet?” Jessica asked with excitement. Harley frowned at her, “sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that” she quickly explained with a slight chuckle. “The size of the child is a good indication of its health, it’s usually about this time when women of your size begins to show.”   
Harley watched her suspiciously, still put off by the question and her choice of words. “Well I haven’t started to show, the only thing that seems to be increasing is my chest size, and not in a good way; it constantly hurts.”  
“Well that’s perfectly normal,” Jessica reassured, “have you been to see a doctor yet?”  
“No” Harley told her, slightly confused “Why would I see a doctor?”  
Jessica blinked at her, “because you’re pregnant and need to keep updated on the health of your baby,” she explained as if the answer was obvious.   
“How? I can’t exactly just waltz into any doctor’s surgery and expect not to be arrested.”

Jessica twisted her face in thought, she’d momentarily forgotten that Harley was a wanted criminal. “We can just make you look different,” Haley answered as she walked into the room and sat on the armrest of the chair. “The media only know you by your classic look, you look like everyone else if you removed the red and black colour scheme and let your hair down.”   
“That’s a good point actually” Jessica joined, “it is about this time when you should get checked out anyway, considering where you are in the pregnancy.”  
Harley looked between the two women and sighed, “okay I’ll look into it” she grumbled.

“Oh, I brought you these” Jessica then spoke up, changing the subject as she began digging into her black handbag. She quickly pulled out two thick pregnancy books and handed them to Harley, “These will tell you everything that you’ll need to know.”  
Harley eyed the items before briefly skimming through the contents of one of the books, and focusing on the part about what she’s not allowed to consume. “I can’t have coffee?” she asked in a high voice as she looked at Jessica.   
She chuckled at her reaction, “No I’m afraid not, no caffeine or anything raw, so that includes mayonnaise and sushi, but I doubt that’ll be a problem for you considering that you hate fish.” 

Harley nodded before slumping back against the multi-coloured cushions, “So what’s giving birth like?” she then asked with curiosity after a pause. Jessica rubbed the back of her neck as she thought over her answer, “be honest” Harley added.

“…Well it’s not easy, Agonising is a good word to describe it but some are easier than others. But don’t worry” she then added when she noticed Harley’s brows furrow in concern. “It’s always worth it in the end, because you then get to see and hold the creature you just spent 9 months creating, something that’s just like you.” It seemed to have worked as Harley then gave a little smile, most likely from picturing it.


	4. Chapter 4

A couple days later, Harley had managed to arrange to see a Doctor. Jessica had given her the number of the same Doctor that she had used when she was pregnant, Harley couldn’t seem to find one that she liked on her own thanks to her paranoia.

Harley anxiously made her way down to the Doctors with the company of her sister on a quiet, cloudy afternoon. Even though she had made an effort to look as normal as she possibly could, she still felt weary; Her hair was down in waves and she was wearing a plain light pink top and blue jeans with a white hoodie, which were all supplied by Haley who had gone out shopping for her. She felt very uncomfortable dressed this way, she couldn’t even remember the last time she wore something this average. 

“You don’t have to look so awkward, Harley” her sister chuckled, noticing her discomfort as they walked. “They’re just clothes, it’s not like you have to dress like this forever.” Harley said nothing; her eyes just remained focused on either the ground or her surroundings. Haley raised a brow, “or has it got something to do with not being in Gotham, Is this place too mundane for you?” she playfully mocked while gestured around.  
Harley let out a sigh at her sisters pestering, “It’s a little of everything.”  
“I knew it!” Haley smiled triumphantly, “I’m finally starting to be able to read you,” Harley only grunted in response.

The two of them walked side by side through the double doors of the local doctor’s surgery, Harley instinctively scanned the waiting room’s occupants and to her luck it seemed surprisingly empty. There was a father reading to his young son in the children’s corner, where there was a playhouse with numerous toys scattered around it, along with a stack of children’s books nearby. There also was an elderly couple who sat near the window and were bickering amongst themselves, a mother and teenage daughter who were both playing on their phones, and an old man reading the morning paper. Her sister lightly nudging her in the side then brought her attention back to focus, and towards the dark haired receptionist who sat behind the wall like desk, as she typed away on her keyboard. 

“Excuse me” Harley spoke up quietly as she stepped forward,  
The woman finished her sentence before finally smiling up her, “Hello, how can I help you?” she chirped.  
Harley continued to keep her voice to a minimum, “I have an appointment with Dr Fletcher at three o’clock.”  
“What’s the name?”   
“Ashley Quinzel” Harley told her confidently yet still quietly, she obviously couldn’t use her actual name so she was pretending to be a cousin.   
The woman began typing away again on her computer “okay please take a seat, the doctor will be right with you.”  
Harley silently thanked her with a nod of the head and moved towards the part of the waiting room which was vacant, in one of the corners. 

She sat down on one of the uncomfortable mint green, padded seats which creaked under the pressure. She grumbled lightly to herself, her back had been causing her discomfort lately and this chair was certainly not doing her any favours.   
“How are you holding up?” Haley asked as she leaned into her,  
“I’m a bit nervous,” Harley admitted as she began glancing at the many different posters and leaflets, spread around the white walls.  
“I keep telling you, you look fine, stop worrying” she reassured while rubbing her arm affectionately.   
“It’s not that, I’ve never done this before,”  
“Ohh” Haley realised, “well I can’t be of much help there because neither have I, but Jessica says there’s nothing to worry about, nothing is going to hurt you… well except the giving birth part of course.”   
My back, hips and breasts say otherwise,” Harley grumbled flatly.  
“Really?” Haley asked, “Well I suppose it’s from the new weight isn’t it?”  
Harley nodded, having already learnt this information. “But I’m also worried because Jessica said that I should have started to show a little by now, considering my figure.”   
“Every baby is different Harley, I wouldn’t worry about it. Why don’t you go look at that wall over there, that’s the family planning section, you might learn something new.”

Harley looked at where she was pointing and let her eyes linger at the contents, while then Haley pulled out her phone. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself by walking over and looking properly, but she could still make out some of it from where she was sitting. The pictures obviously stood out the most; they ranged from heavily photo shopped close up’s of baby faces, women smiling happy as they caressed their unborn child, fetuses and stages of development in the womb. She had already read about some of the information thanks to the books she was given. She knew that the creature growing inside her should have a heartbeat at this point, along with fingers and toes. She was still trying to get use to fact that there was a small human forming inside her, the idea seemed so strange. She often felt her stomach to see if anything had changed, although it had not grown in size it did feel harder than before. 

The sound of the entrance doors to the clinic suddenly opening, distracted her current thoughts. A heavily pregnant woman was almost waddling her way through the doors due to her size, with her partner protectively by her side. The woman instantly reminded Harley of The penguin, and it made her inwardly giggle, that was before she realised that that will be her in six or so months time and her smile faded. 

“Why don’t you go sit down dear, I’ll sign you in” the tall, smartly dressed man suggested warmly to her. She gave him a thankful smile and made her way towards the seats near Harley and her sister. Harley’s mind was doing it again, not only did the woman look like one of her associates from Gotham, but so did her partner; his body type and even the way he was dressed reminded Harley of The Scarecrow. 

“The joys of expecting twins” the woman spoke, noticing Harley’s gaze as she passed. Harley felt her face pale over at her statement, she hadn’t even considered the idea that she could be carrying more than one. She continued to watcher her make her way to her seat, just in time for her lanky partner to join her. The couple looked so happy together, the way they looked at each other and how much he cared for her in her condition. Even though she couldn’t quite relate, the scene still made her think of Mr J and how much she missed him. This lead to her mind wandering off again; she wondered what he was doing right about now, was he missing her at all? Or was he just carrying on with his life as if she was never there to begin with? And what would he do if he knew that she was expecting his child? 

Haley had done a double take when she glanced up at Harley from her phone to see her staring so intently, she didn’t look like she was necessarily staring at the happy couple, just in their general direction. Instead of distracting her or pulling her out of the trance she was in, Haley tried a different approach; “were you and… you know who ever like that?” she whispered cautiously.   
Harley slowly looked towards her as she spoke, “sometimes” she answered “he had his moments.”  
“Well obviously, otherwise you wouldn’t be here” she chuckled.  
Harley smirked, “he just wasn’t into public displays of affection, it makes him look too soft.”  
“Oh I see, that surprising makes sense” Haley commented.  
“Don’t get me wrong, he had his bad moments too” Harley then told her sternly, “He has a real bad temper.”  
Haley’s face changed to one of concern, “...I guess that’s also why you’re here.”  
Harley merely gave her a bleak nod.


	5. Chapter 5

Fifteen minutes had passed and Harley was getting more and more frustrated with each call of patient names, she even saw a few new people walk in to be instantly called. She really wished that she could just pull out a weapon and point it at the smartly dressed receptionist, demanding to be seen straight away. She wasn’t use to having to be patient and her current state was only amplifying her temper. It made her kinda miss the unintentionally patronising doctor her and Joker used, he at least would always treat them immediately, but then again even he was under pressure to do so, otherwise he’d be on the receiving end of J’s gun.

The patient monitor then beeped again getting Harley’s attention, she sighed in relief as it finally displayed her name and the room number to go to. They both stood up, stretched their legs and made their way towards the door. The corridor was surprising busy as doctors, nurses and patients were seen moving from one place to the other. Harley wasn’t paying any attention to them as she scanned each door for hers. She almost lost her footing as a tall, broad shouldered man with shaggy brown hair, and a white coat bumped her shoulder as he was rushing past her. Thankfully Haley caught her before she fell, “well that was rude!” she commented angrily once Harley was steady, but the figure was long gone. “Are you okay?” she then asked her sister who was rubbing her shoulder.  
“Yeah, I’m fine” she answered while staring in the direction he went before continuing on.  
“What type of doctor bashes into a pregnant woman like that?” Haley grumbled as they walked.  
“I don’t look pregnant though”  
“That’s not the point” she told her firmly, “are you sure you’re alright, you look kinda dazed.”   
“Huh? Yeah I’m okay, he just reminded me of someone” she answered slowly as she furrowed her brows.  
“who?”  
“It’s doesn’t matter” Harley dodged as she then came to a halt at the room, “This is it.”

She knocked politely before turning the handle and pushing the door open. As she walking into the room she was greeted with a smile by a woman with dyed fire- red hair, which was held up in a high pony-tale. Harley was taken aback by her doctor’s appearance; she was expecting her to look plain like everyone else, so when she saw the dark eyeliner and a number of colourful tattoos, it came as quite a pleasant shock.

“You must be Ashley” she spoke warmly from her seat at the desk, please take a seat” she then gestured to the medical bed up against the wall. Harley only nodded and obeyed while Haley sat down on the spare chair next to it. “My name is Dr Fletcher” she introduced by standing and shaking their hands, “I just need to ask you a few questions before we get started.”

Harley adjusted herself on the edge of the bed, “Okay” she answered, slightly nervous.  
“Now, you’re here because you are pregnant right?”   
Harley nodded, “Yeah”  
“Is this your first time?”  
“It is.”   
“Do you know roughly how far along you are?”   
Harley’s eyes wondered to the white ceiling in thought, “I think I’m either thirteen or fourteen weeks.”   
The doctor nodded as she jotted the information down on a notepad, “How did you come to the conclusion that you’re pregnant?”   
“I took a home pregnancy test which told me how far in I was.”  
The Doctor took more notes while nodding, “and have you been more emotional or experienced any pain in the chest, hips or back?”   
“Yes to all” Harley answered again as she listened carefully.

“Okay then” she announced as she put the notepad to one side and grabbed her blood pressure meter from her desk, “First things first, let’s check your blood pressure.”   
“That’s good, the results are normal” The doctor then smiled as she removed the band from Harley’s arm, leaving a slight red imprint. “Now, let’s do an ultrasound then shell we.” 

Harley then swung her legs onto the bed and lifted up her shirt as the Doctor got prepared. She had told her that the jelly would be cold but Harley still clenched when the solution came in contact with her skin, it was like she was rubbing jam on her that had been left in the fridge for far too long. When the screen came to life she couldn’t see much on it as the doctor searched for the baby, she stopped when she hovered over a small formation inside what looked like a bubble. 

“There it is” Dr Fletcher announced as she pointed at it with her back painted fingernail. Harley tilted her head, allowing her mind to try and identify the head from the bottom. It looked like an oddly shaped bean with squiggles which would presumable become the limbs. The Doctor let out an unsure hum that got Harley's attention.

“What is it?” she asked with concern,  
“The development stage that your baby is in, indicates that you have only been pregnant for ten weeks, if that” She told her in a serious tone as she leaned closer to the monitor.   
“But I haven’t” Harley squeaked.  
“Calm down,” the doctor instructed. “If you are sure, then the baby isn’t developing at the correct pace, something must be wrong.”  
“Well what is it?” Haley asked as she placed her hand on Harley’s arm in an attempt to calm her.   
“I can’t tell at this point, we will have to monitor your progress closely so I’ll need to see you more often,” She told them carefully. “Don’t worry, I’m sure everything is fine.”  
Harley was starting to get more agitated as she propped herself up on her elbows, “If everything is fine then why is my baby a month behind on its development?!”   
“Calm down” Haley intervened gently, as she realised that this appointment could go sour very quickly, knowing her sisters history.  
The Doctor looked between the two, “some babies are slower than others, we just need to be cautious.” 

Harley looked at her sister who was pleading her to not make a scene with her eyes, she took the hint and tried to take in a deep breath as the Doctor rubbed the solution off her stomach. She advised Harley to take plenty of vitamins and eat properly, it was still far too early to tell what was wrong with the child so she couldn’t really ask her to do anything more specific. Harley and her sister left shortly after with a new appointment in a few weeks time and some leaflets to look at, along with an awful lot of new anxiety.


	6. Chapter 6

Harley was hoping her anxiety would have eased slightly as each week passed leading up to her next appointment. It however didn’t and even started to affect her dreams. She had dreams of waking up one day to find blood flowing from between her legs, giving birth to still-born child, and Having Joker find her and beating the life out of her. These always ended with her waking up in a cold sweat in the dead of night, and after having taken a few breaths she would always look to the left of where she lay out of habit, just to see if The Joker was there sleeping peacefully besides her. Snuggling up next to him always calmed her nerves after a nightmare, even when he groaned in annoyance, and the memory would finally bring her to tears until she fell back to sleep upon a tear soaked pillow. 

Even though she felt no regret for what she was doing, it still didn’t stop her from missing him. The few pleasant dreams that she did have were of her being back home with him, they wouldn’t necessarily be doing anything important; just the usual things they did like watching TV together, or racing through the streets of Gotham just for the hell of it. But on one strange occasion where she was sat with him, laughing at one of his jokes she would then look down into his lap to see a swaddled blanket, resting in his arms, but when she peered over to look at its face, the dream would end. She didn’t have an answer for that dream or why she had it, because it didn’t make sense to her. She wanted to keep the two apart from each other no matter what, so why would she dream of them all siting together?

When the day of the appointment finally did come, she went through the same ordeal as the first time, although feeling worse than before. Once her name was called and they made their way to the office, Harley thought she saw the back of the same doctor who bashed into her the last time, walking into an office at the far end of the hall. She had too much on her mind to focus her thoughts on him though as she walked into her designated room for her appointment.

Unfortunately it didn’t go very well, the baby was still developing slower than normal. Harley found it incredibly unsettling that the doctor was so confused; she still couldn’t identify the reason behind it. All she had told Harley and her sister was that something was preventing its development, but the question was ‘what?’

They two then left after being told the same as last time because there wasn’t a whole lot the doctor could do other than see her regularly. 

“Oh no,” Haley grumbled allowed as they approached the house. The two had been walking in relative silence up until this point, so this sudden break pulled Harley out of her thoughts rather quickly.  
“What, what is it?!” she panicked,  
“That’s mum’s car” Haley spoke with dread as she pointed at an old navy blue estate Volvo parked up outside.  
Harley groaned and rolled her eyes dramatically, “what is she doing here?”  
“I haven’t got a clue”  
“I can see her taste in cars hasn’t changed” Harley commented as they passed by the box like car and headed into the driveway.

“There you two are” their mother called, who was standing impatiently outside the front door. “Where have you been?”  
“We were at the doctors” Haley answered when Harley just stared at the woman angrily.  
“Ah, finally decided to be rid of the thing? That’s a relief.”  
Haley had to quickly put her arm in front of her sister who was about to lunge at their mother. She flinched slightly at her attempts, “I’ll take that as no then.”  
“Mum, this really isn’t a good time” Haley warned her while still holding her sister back.  
“Oh” she spoke with interest, “is everything alright?”

Harley then pulled out the keys from her jean pocket and pushed past her mother to open the door. Once inside they all made their way into the living room, as Harley then slouched into the armchair with a heavy sigh.  
“Harley honey, what’s going on? You look like you haven’t slept in days” her mother asked as she perched on the edge of the sofa.  
“Something is wrong with the baby,” Harley finally spat with her eyes focused on the beige carpet.  
Her mother had instantly thought of something witty to say in response but quickly decided against it due to her daughters mood, “I see” she emitted, not knowing what else to say.  
“It’s not developing at the rate it should” Haley concluded as she removed her sky blue trainers whilst leaning on the sofa, before leaving to put them in the porch.  
“Oh well that’s not uncommon,” their mother perked up, “I’m sure everything’s fine, Harley.” 

Harley’s glare didn’t subside at her mother’s comment as she made eye contact, “The doctor doesn’t know what the cause is though, so excuse me if I’m not convinced that everything is going to be okay.”  
Her mother sighed, “Well whether it is or not, you stressing over it is only going to make it worse so you need to at least try and think positively.”  
Harley was silent for a moment as she glanced at the floor again, “So why are you here anyway?”  
“I simply came by to see how my girls were doing that’s all,” She defended.  
“What makes you think we wanted to see you? Last time you were here you said you wanted nothing to do with my child,” Harley then spoke venomously as she leaned forward to remove her hoodie.  
This made her smile instantly turn into a frown, “Harley I don’t trust anything that comes out of that monster you associate yourself with.”  
“The father does not dictate the child’s personality!” Harley growled as she suddenly got to her feet, her mother quickly did the same so they were now in each other’s faces.

“You of all people know that madness can be hereditary, and seeing as both its parents are psycho’s I don’t see why it can’t be as well!”  
“Just because it can, does not mean it will”  
“I don’t think it’s worth the risk”  
“Well guess what mother; I don’t care what you think!”

“Hey, hey stop it, the pair of you!” Haley quickly intervened as she raced back into the room from the kitchen. The two of them continued to glare at each other as they were pulled apart, before Haley dragged their mother out of the room.

Ten minutes had passed and Harley was sitting with her head in her now tear covered hands, her mother was marching through the hall towards the front door when she stopped and saw Harley through the doorway. She glanced over her shoulder at Haley who was coaxing her to say something with her eyes. Her mother sighed “Harley I’m sorry, but you need to understand that your child may not turn out the way you hope it will. It may be normal, it may be different. It may even be born with problems… and that’s providing it gets that far.” She then left as Harley raised her head and stared after her with puffy red eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

Harley did decide to try and take her mother’s advice and not think about her situation too much, and just enjoy the break away from Gotham. Although the last thing she said to her was still nagging at her in the back of her mind, what if the baby doesn’t make it? She wasn’t sure why she didn’t hope for this outcome, it’s not like she was planning on keeping it herself. Mr J wouldn’t want it and she probably wouldn’t be able to visit often, yet she still wanted this child to live.

As she spent more time focusing on the different world around her, she suddenly realised why she left this life to begin with. This place was boring, everyone she saw and passed by when out and about were all so normal. She never saw people being robbed in the streets, police sirens were a rare occurrence, it barely rained and everyone was always so happy and friendly to one another. It unnerved Harley to say the least when she’s use to living somewhere so chaotic.

She couldn’t risk getting a job, so to pass the time she found herself looking at her old phycology text books that had been posted online. All she ever did back in the day was study and do gymnastics, seeing as she obviously couldn’t practice her moves she was left with her studies, but even then it got boring because she wasn’t working towards any goals like before. Then Haley gave her the idea of trying yoga, the idea was a blessing to her as she was desperate for entertainment. She quickly went out, bought herself a red yoga mat and then came back home onto YouTube. She turned out to be a natural at the hobby due to her flexibility, then next thing she knew, a few more weeks had past and she had finally started to gain a bump. 

She returned to her doctor for her regular check-up and was congratulated on the new development; this made Harley smile beyond belief with the hope that this was a good sign. The baby hadn’t begun moving yet, but her doctor told her that was very common, and it didn’t always happen until a lot later. Harley wanted to know the gender of her baby but after seeing the scan, she knew that that wasn’t going to be happening yet. The baby’s organs were still not functioning properly as they were still undeveloped, but the doctor still went ahead to find the heartbeat.

Harley was anxious to hear the sound that proved whether or not her child was alive for the first time, she had held her breath with joy when the soft beating became audible. She hadn’t even realised the doctor’s look of concern until she told her the heartbeat was shallow and weak. Harley’s smile had faded at the news, this isn’t usually of much concern as it doesn’t always mean danger, but it can potentially lead to heart failure in the worst case scenario, and considering the circumstances this could be likely. 

She was given medication that would hopefully help, but her doctor had no choice but to tell her the reality of the situation. That she should start to consider the possibility that her child may not survive. She couldn’t say that the baby will die because there’s a chance that it won’t, but she also couldn’t say that the baby will be fine; because even if the baby makes it to full term and is born, it may not have an easy life ahead of it. This wasn’t what Harley wanted to hear, but the worst part was when the doctor said that she should think about whether or not a life filled with pain right from the start was worth living.

Harley wasn’t willing to accept the fact that her baby may never be born, or the fact that her doctor was insinuating that she should stop before things get worse. She wasn’t going to terminate her progress just because of a few issues, no matter what people say. She saw the look on her sister’s face when the doctor’s news hit; she was on her side and was clearly pondering the options given. 

Despite everything, Harley still dragged her sister to look at baby stuff right after. Her choice of store was quite large but not the size of a warehouse, she was so eager she looked like a child going to toys ‘r’ us as she pulled Haley through the parking lot. You couldn’t even tell she had just been told terrible news; she looked around at all the high chairs, cots and push-chairs with such wonder in her eyes. Haley complained at first, saying that she was getting her hopes up too high, but eventually decided to just let her have her moment as she hadn’t seen her this excited since she’d been here. 

“How can you afford this place” Haley asked as she saw the prices of each item as they browsed,  
“Have you forgotten what I do for a living?” Her sister replied with a devious smile as she stopped to look at a black and red push-chair.  
“Well I’m trying to, but what I mean is don’t you have a joint bank account with a certain someone?”  
Harley paused for a moment at the mention of her boyfriend, who she had been trying to get over missing. “Yeah, but I also have my own stash for when we’re not together” she finally answered with a little less enthusiasm.

Haley took notice of the change as she raised a brow “You miss him, don’t you?”  
Harley ignored her and moved on with her search.  
“It’s completely normal if you do, and expected in your current condition” Haley added as she followed.  
“I don’t want to talk about this now” Harley quickly spoke over her shoulder. This answered Haley’s question and she chose to not probe her on the subject further.

Once they returned home, Haley was thankful that her sister didn’t buy anything; luckily she wanted to know the gender first before making any big decisions.  
Harley did her usual thing of slouching into the armchair, and removing her jacket and shoes.  
“Can we continue the convocation we were having in the shop, now?” Haley asked as she removed her own things.  
“What convocation?” her sister asked as she stood up and headed into the kitchen to grab a drink.  
“About you missing The Joker” she called,  
“I told you I didn’t want to talk about it” Harley told her as she returned with a bottle of water and sat back in the chair again.  
“But talking might make you feel better” Haley coaxed as she sat down on the sofa.  
Harley sighed loudly and rested her forehead on her propped up hand exhaustedly, “what do you want me to say, of course I’m gonna miss him.”  
Haley paused as she chewed her bottom lip, “I’m sure you get asked this a lot but what do you exactly see in him?”

Harley looked up at her for a moment before answering, “He makes me laugh.”  
Haley gave her a bored expression, expecting such a typical answer “Other than that, I’m genuinely curious.”  
Harley let out another sigh as she put her arm down “well, he opened my eyes to a lot of things. I was really bored of my life before I met him, and then he came along and showed me a whole new perspective.”  
Haley pondered her words, “I suppose you were a bit bland, all you ever did was study and do flips all the time.”  
“Thanks” Harley commented sarcastically.  
“Okay, why did you stay with him for so long even though he abused you?”  
“Because he’s insane and can’t handle emotions very well, granted I was a bit clingy and because he’s got such a temper, that made him mad after a while.” Harley then looked to the floor dismally “I know that he loves me, but the problem is that he knows it too and hates it” she sighed.  
“He hates that he loves you?” Haley questioned, “How does that work?”

She regained eye contact at the question “As I said, he is insane and can’t handle emotions the same way a normal human can. Why are you so interested all of a sudden anyway?” Harley then asked as she took a sip of her drink.  
“Well he’s a big part of your life and I want to know you better than I do, plus you want me to raise the child you’re having with him. I’d just like to know the back story.  
“What back story?” Harley questioned with a furrowed brow.  
Haley Paused, “How did you two meet?”  
Harley was taken aback by this question as she just stared, “you don’t know how we met?”  
“I only know that you broke him out of Arkham and ran off with him, not even mum and Connor know the whole thing.”  
Harley leaned forward in her seat to the best of her abilities, “If I tell you, will you tell them?”  
“No” Haley answered, slightly unnerved by her sisters heavy gaze.  
“Then buckle up."


	8. Chapter 8

_As you know, I started working at Arkham as an intern, fresh out of college. I had managed to get the job with grade A qualifications and great references. On my first day I was given a brief tour of the institute by a Dr Leland, and because of how much I’ve always been fascinated by the criminal mind; I obviously wanted to see the infamous rouge gallery, But much to my disappointment I was not granted this. I was told that the patients down there would not take being stared at well, and that they will instantly know that I am ‘fresh meat’ and therefore easy to break._

_I was pretty much shown every other ward, including the extremely loud one which was filled with people who were so far gone, they had lost every ounce of humanity in them. All they ever did was scream and lung at anyone who came near them, these people were classed as a lost cause and beyond help. I did feel bad for them, but I was more curious as to what you’d have to go through to the point you can barely be classed as human._

_I was then shown my office, if you could even call it that, it was small. The only stuff that could fit in there was a desk, a chair, a filing cabinet and a small dust bin. She then introduced me to some of the other members of staff, I say some of them because there was a whole lot of them. I’m pretty sure she couldn’t be bothered to waste time in hunting down everyone, so she just let me meet whoever was in the break room at the time. That and Dr Arkham and the Warden, Quincy Sharp._

_At the end of the day I left with three new patient files that were your typical cases, I can’t remember what they were specifically but you know the type; depression, bipolar and anxiety. My time there then became a sort of blur, I was getting through each case I was given quickly with amazing progress and results. It became rather boring after a while, to the point I actually went to see Dr Arkham himself for more of a challenge. Even he couldn’t disagree with me when I told him I could probably handle higher ranked cases. I think I should have been more specific, because he only stepped me up by one level. I know that makes sense but I really wanted to get a hold of a super-criminal case, not some random bozo with mild schizophrenia and anger issues._

_I carried on doing these cases however, and even though some of them were a bit harder to crack I still didn’t feel satisfied. So I decided to keep pestering Arkham for the higher cases, which may not have been wise because I was still new and he was my boss, but I didn’t care because I was always determined to get what I want. Eventually he relented slightly by allowing me to observe a session with one of them, I was so excited to finally get to see one in person and I knew exactly which one I wanted to see. The Joker._

_Because what I never got round to telling you, was that I had met him before. It was probably maybe five years prier, when I was still in med school. A fair had set up in a local park near me, and even though I was so caught up in studying, I was drawn to the music and bright lights, so I had to make time to go. It was on one of the last nights of the fair when I went, so there weren’t that many people there as there had been previously. The only ride that was suitable for adults was the Ferris wheel, but I didn’t dare go on it because of how rusty and warn down it looked. I mainly went for the doughnuts and cotton candy. I had been standing near the wheel to enjoy my food at the time, because of the lack of people surrounding it. That’s when I heard the loud explosion coming from nearby, followed by screaming._

_The shooting range had just been hit by some sort of large projectile, but not enough to destroy the entire stand. That’s when he appeared, laughing hysterically as he held the smoking weapon that was responsible. He was accompanied by several other men, all wearing clown masks. I was too shocked to move, the range hadn’t been that far away from where I was. He sauntered his way towards the remains and picked up some sort of prize that I couldn’t see. He then started to fire at other targets as more people ran in fear, I couldn’t figure out why but even though I couldn’t find the will to run, I had continued to finish my stick of candy floss as if I was at the movies. He spotted me, our eyes locked on to each other and that did make me pause my eating. He started to laugh again, he doubled over in a fit as I just stood there eating treats while everyone else scattered. When I still didn’t react to his presence he then fired at the Ferris wheel, people who had been left up there while the attendant had ran, started screaming even more as the ride began to crumble. I was standing directly below one of the carriages that had broken, and it soon began to fall._

_The grenade hitting the wheel was barely louder than the shrieking crowd, and by the time I realised what was happening, it was already falling apart. Luckily when I did look up, my instincts kicked in. Ditching my food, I flipped into a cartwheel out of its path just in time, and landed with grace. “Now that’s a wheel worth watching!” I then heard him shout which got my attention from the burning wreckage that could have been me. He and his men then disappeared off further into the fair, just as a dark shadow flew over my head and after them._

_If The Joker had been at Arkham, I would have requested to sit in on his sessions but unfortunately he hadn’t been captured yet. Aside from him I didn’t know who I wanted to observe, I think I wanted to see Poison Ivy because I loved how confident she always was, but Dr Arkham had picked for me. I was given a look at The Riddler; this wasn’t too disappointing as he was still an impressive case. I kinda felt like a detective, sitting behind a one way window, as I watched his therapist ask him the standard question of “how are you feeling today?” The Doctor mainly just listened to him talk in riddles, nod from time to time and asked him the occasional question here and there._

_It had been discovered that he suffered from an intense form of OCD and was a huge narcissist, which anyone could tell just from looking at him. Because him and everyone else in the rouge gallery didn’t respond to any of their medication, they were mainly there so they couldn’t do harm outside. Even I was unaffected by their methods, I think it only worked on people with less complex minds._

_After a couple more weeks of watching other therapists work on their patients and doing my own cases as well, an announcement finally went out that The Joker was in the lobby with Batman. I remember it clearly; I was in my office, typing up notes on a late evening when it sounded, I had caught my breath in my throat when I heard it and then ran straight down there. I could already hear his laugh echoing down the halls towards me, I couldn’t wait. Once I got there the room was filled with orderlies surrounding him, I barely got a glimpse of his state as he was strapped to a gurney and instantly wheeled away. They must have already given him something, because his laugh had died down to a giggle and his head was rolling around._

_I gave it a couple of days before going to see Dr Arkham, giving Mr J time to settle in. As expected, he refused to let me treat him, but didn’t object to me watching a session. When I finally got to see him, I never realised how long his hair looked when it wasn’t well kept, but the look wasn’t bad on him. He was just sitting there, hunched over with his head down. He looked like an inactive wind-up toy, just waiting for the right person to come and wake him up. The middle aged therapist obviously asked him the normal questions, which surprise, surprise he didn’t acknowledge. In fact, he never said a word. For every session he had from that point on he never made a single peep. I think he must have been bored to death of the same old questions and tactics, I just couldn’t understand why no one else could see that. When I looked into all the previous doctors he’d had they were all of the older generation, and did the exact same thing. So this got me thinking; what if I, a 25 year old, tried a different approach, one he had never had before, maybe I could get through to him._


	9. Chapter 9

_I had kept trying to persuade Dr Arkham to let me at least have a go but he never listened, he just kept allowing the same silent sessions to continue, hoping that Mr J would eventually give in, but I think even deep down he knew that that wasn’t going to happen. Until one day when I was in my office, typing up notes, he showed up out of the blue, looking very distraught. This wasn’t something that had ever happened before so it was very unexpected. He told me to get ready for a session with Mr J and that I had half an hour to prepare, before dumping his file which wasn’t as full as I’d have thought, on my desk. He then left just as quickly as he entered without giving me a chance to say a word. I briefly wondered what pushed him to this point, I guessed my constant badgering finally got to him._

_Luckily ever since I met Mr J at the fair, I had spent a good portion of my time looking into him, so when this sudden opportunity came up I wasn’t unfamiliar with his case. I had practically ran towards the room, I was so excited._

_He still had his head down when I entered and sat quietly. The reality of situation set in as soon as I looked across the table at him, I couldn’t believe I was finally here and I had to take a deep, unnoticeable breath just to calm myself. “Good afternoon, my name is Dr Quinzel and I will be treating you from this point forward.”_

_To my surprise and utter delight he lifted his head, but I felt slightly nervous when he then raised a brow and looked at me from my head to my middle, where the table cut off the rest of me. “So what did you have to do to get someone like me, then?” he drawled out in a voice that gave me goose-bumps._

_His question was unpredicted and even though I knew what he was insinuating I played it dumb, “Excuse me?”_ _“_

_"I’ve never had someone so young and… fresh, treat me before” he grinned._

_I smiled at him, I saw that one coming. “That’s exactly the point, Mr Joker. We’re trying something new.”_

_He straightened his posture, “Is that so?” he asked with interest._

_"Yep, I’ve had the pleasure of watching some of your sessions and you looked… bored to say the least, so I’m gonna try switching it up a bit for ya.” I hadn’t intended for my accent to slip out so quickly, but considering my tactics it seemed to fit._

_“Well aren’t you an observant little thing, so what did you have in mind?” he spoke, lacing his fingers together on the table._

_“I want you to feel comfortable in these sessions, so I’m willing to answer any questions that you may have about me, providing they’re reasonable, so it’s not like talking to a robot.” I had his full attention now, and even though my methods may seem risky and unorthodox to others, he seemed to respond well._

_“Hmmm” he pondered as he watched me, “What is your first name?”_

_“Harleen,” I obliged._

_He paused at that, “Harleen? Harleeeen Quinzeeeel, What a pretty name. Do your friends call you Harley?”_

_His tone continued to amaze me, I had never thought a man like him could have such a charismatic voice. “I don’t have a lot of friends” I admitted._

_He grinned at me, “Well Harley, you’ve got one now.”_

_If his voice didn’t give me chills down my spine then that line definitely did, but not the bad kind. I didn’t know what to say to that, but luckily a knock at the door came, signalling that our time was up._

_“Same time next week?” I then asked him._

_“I look forward to it.”_

_He was then removed from the room and by the time I left, I almost bumped straight into Dr Arkham who was waiting for me with a hard look. He wasn’t happy at all with my choices as expected, but he couldn’t stop me from continuing because I had got him to talk. The technique had worked better than I had thought and I was eager to write up my notes on the session, I couldn’t wait to see him again._

_I had dropped all my cases so I could focus all my time to studying Mr J, and working on my plans for our first proper session. That was until I arrived at work the next day, and I knew exactly what I wanted to talk about with him. This was because when I entered my office I found a single red rose, sitting in a tall see-through vase. It had a note attached to it that read "I_ _enjoyed chatting with you, Harlequin – J."_

_I had never thought of my name like that before, but now that he had pointed it out I couldn’t stop seeing and hearing it. So that’s why he focused on my name, did he think I was like him in some way? Did this mean he was willing to open up to me? I had so many questions but had to pace myself, I couldn’t ask him these all at once so it had to be a gradual thing, either way I started planning straight away._

_I had requested to have complete privacy with my patient, so that meant no window or camera. Dr Arkham was unsure but when I told him it would make the session more relaxed, he agreed on some conditions; that I kept a panic button and had two Guards outside._

_I had beaten J to our new therapy room which had full privacy so I could prepare my notes on the desk. “Well isn’t this fancy!” The Joker exclaimed as he was pulled into the room and chained to the chair. “Harley my dear, you’ve outdone yourself” He praised while taking in the new room._

_I was so happy he liked what I’d done for him and could barely contain my joy, “I’m glad you like it Mr Joker, I told you I would make some changes.”_

_“Mr Joker is so formal, you can call me… Jay” he winked._

_I couldn’t believe I was blushing at that, “How about, Mr J?”_

_“Even better” he grinned at me as he leaned on the table between us._

_I coughed awkwardly to begin being more serious, “Now the first thing that I want to discuss with you is the little gift you left me in my office.”_

_“Oh did you like it? I think red suits you,” He perked up at the mention of the rose._

_“I did indeed, thank you, but I think the guards would be interested in knowing how you got out of your cell, that’s providing they didn’t assist you.”_

_He grinned wide with a laugh, “It’s not like you’ve told them, is it?”_

_I just blinked at him, he’d got me there._

_He pointed a finger at me playfully, “I knew you had a little wildness in you, that’s why I knew you wouldn’t tell. How else could you have persuaded the big guys to get what you wanted, which was me.”_

_I held a stern expression, “I didn’t sleep with anyone to get your case if that’s what you’re asking.”_

_Mr J burst out laughing then, “I wasn’t implying you did, I was more referring to your determination but now that you bring it up, it proves you’ve either done it in the past or thought about doing it.”_

_He continued to laugh as I stared wide eyed at him, I may have flirted slightly in college to help me a bit but I never went that far, but then again I didn’t have to. “We all have stories Mr J, why don’t you tell me one of yours. I’d prefer it to be a true story but I won’t complain.”_

_“But isn’t the mystery of not knowing the difference part of the fun?” He pouted._

_I tilted my head, “You mean like Schrodinger’s cat?”_

_“Exactly, maybe they’re real and maybe they’re not, they could even be both.”_

_He then told the typical stories he’s told before, the ones where he’s with his father at the circus along with the occasional fun fair related stories. Everyone was right, he did love an audience and knew exactly how to word his stories to keep you captivated. He definitely lived up to his title of The Joker, because his stories were just so funny and I couldn’t help but laugh at them._

_“Do you like going to the fair Mr J?” I asked._

_“Who do you think you’re talking to? I love the fair, especially the rides.”_

_“Oh? Which ones your favourite?”_

_He paused for a second, “The Ferris wheel” he smirked as he leaned on the table once again._

_That took me off guard, was he referencing the incident? I couldn’t be sure._

_“I also love the shooting range as well” He continued with a giggle, “even though that’s not technically a ride.”_

_My jaw had dropped slightly and he burst out laughing again, “Oh your face is priceless!” he howled with laughter._

_“You, you recognise?” I asked in disbelief yet full of hope._

_“Oh Harley, of course I recognised you. It’s not every day you see a woman eating candy floss amongst thousands of fleeing people.”_

_“You tried to kill me!” I almost shouted as I placed both my hands on the table._

_This just made him laugh even more, “I was just curious to see how you would react, seeing as what I’d done so far wasn’t enough, and I can tell you now; you did not disappoint. Who’d have guessed you were so flexible.”_

_“I did gymnastics,” I told him with pride._

_“Oh? You’re gonna have to show me some of your moves sometime,” He smirked._

_“That depends how well you behave,” was I flirting with him? I hadn’t intended for this session to turn out this way._

_He grinned at me deviously, “It’s a deal.”_

_Our sessions just got more interesting from that point on, He was just so unbelievably charismatic. He kept his word and never acted out once, so on our sixth session I turned up in trousers instead of my usual skirt, and showed him what my body was capable of. He was very impressed I can tell you that much, and I didn’t know why his praise made me feel so good. I had arrange for him to have a sofa to sit on by this point, as he kept complaining how uncomfortable to chairs were. Little did I know we got so comfortable with each other, I ended up joining him on the sofa half the time, making human contact with each other much more likely._

_It was all going well until I fell sick with the flu, and had to take a couple of weeks off. I wanted to come in and see him but at the same time, I didn’t want to infect him. When I finally came back and spent the entire day in my office, catching up on work. Word must have reached him because when I stayed late that night, and went to the cafeteria to get some food before returning to my office, he was there. No chains, no guards, just himself with no restraints. He was not happy and grabbed me by the throat, before pinning me against the wall. I knew he wasn’t going to kill me, at least I hoped he wasn’t. He just told me how bored he was without me there, and that he didn’t care if I was sick. He thought I’d left him. I knew I had to calm him down somehow, prove to him that I cared. So as soon as he’d lessoned his grip around my throat and now only had me cornered, I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him with intense force._

_My eyes were closed but I could tell that he was shocked, and to my own surprise he accepted it and in turn, kissed me back. So we were just there, kissing in a dark room as if we were teenagers, and when he finally pulled away, he smiled at me and said I was ‘just full of surprises’ before leaving. Little did he know I wasn’t done surprising him yet, because I broke him out just a couple of days later._


	10. Chapter 10

Haley’s head was propped up on her hand as she listened so intently to her sister’s story, “Wow” she spoke quietly with wonder, “That was one hell of a ride you just took me on.”

“And I don’t regret any of it, because look where I am now” Harley then happily gestured to her protruding stomach.

“Yeah” Haley spoke slowly, her blue eyes lingering on the bump. “Ya know it kinda ruins the moment when you know that he isn’t aware that you’re doing this.”

“I guess” Harley agreed dismally, “but I think this child can prove that there is part of Mr J that isn’t just some psychotic clown. He can be nice sometimes, he’s not always a monster.”

“You think the proof will be in the DNA?” Haley raised a brow,

“Of cause” Harley told her as if it was obvious, “He has a human side to him… somewhere inside, that’s the part of him I believe our child will inherit.”

“Well I hope so,” Haley then sighed as she pulled out her phone to see that she had a message. “Oh, Conner’s inviting us over tomorrow, you up for that?”

“What?” Harley asked as she arched her back. “Are you serious?”

“I’ll take that as a yes” Haley then nodded as she replied to the message.

“Ugh! He hasn’t seen me since I first got here, why is he deciding to now?” Harley groaned.

“To be fair I don’t see him much, he has a very busy life being a doctor and all,” Haley defended as she put her phone away.

Harley slowly got to her feet and stretched her arms above her head, “I still think he’s avoiding me.”

Her sister gave her a flat look “and I think you need to stop being so paranoid.”

Harley just grumbled in response before leaving and heading upstairs.

....

When they arrived at their brother’s house the next day and knocked on the dark green door, He stared at Harley in amazement when he opened. “Wow, you look so normal” he smiled, glancing at her black leggings, pull over baggy blue hoodie and untied hair. “But I was expecting you to be… bigger,” he added once letting them.

Haley glared her brother from behind Harley as she removed her coat.

“Thanks,” Harley spoke with sarcasm.

“That’s just because you’re very skinny normally” he explained nervously.

Harley said nothing and proceeded to follow Haley towards the living room, where she could hear the children, but was then stopped by her brother. “Oh, Just a heads up; the kids think you and your… boyfriend are comedians for a living, and that you’re married.” Harley gave him a quizzical look, “you know because you’re pregnant and not married, Kids are told that’s a bad thing.”

Harley smiled up at him, “How do you know we’re not married?” she smirked before continuing to the living room.

Her brother stopped dead with wide eyes, “Well I certainly hope you aren’t” he told her before following.

“Harley, it’s so good to see you!” Jessica smiled as she carried in refreshments on a trey.

“You too,” Harley smiled even though she was partly lying. She scanned the room and was confirmed that it was everything she thought it was, normal and plain. The walls were painted simple colours with family photos displayed around them, with curtains to match. A black leather sofa was placed against the wall with matching arm chairs, one on the left and two on the right, and a wooden coffee table sat in the middle of the room. It had an arch way connecting the room to a just as boring dining room, judging by the large table that even had a vase of lilies in the centre.

She then looked at the children, who sat awkwardly on the sofa looking up at her. They were both blonde, which wasn’t too surprising. The older one was dressed in jeans and a dark red hoodie, while the younger one was in grey cargo shorts and a green t- shirt that had a yellow truck on the front.

She smiled and leaned forward slightly to appear less intimidating, “Hey there” she spoke softly, “what are your names?”

The two looked towards their mother who in turn, coaxed them to talk. “I’m Mathew,” the older one spoke.

“I’m Jacob” The younger one then chimed in.

“Well I’m your auntie Harley, it’s nice to finally meet you.” She then sat down in one of the armchairs.

“They’re five and eight” Connor then read Harley’s mind so she didn’t have to ask, before sitting down on the sofa with them as Haley sat in the other armchair besides Harley.

“What can I get you two to drink?” Jessica asked as she poured two glasses of orange juice for the children.

“Water is fine for me” Harley told her.

“I’ll have a Dr Pepper,” her sister then chirped.

“How come we’ve never met you before?” Jacob asked Harley, who looked over at him.

“Well, I don’t live around here.”

“Where do you live?” he then asked

“I come from Gotham city.” 

“He’s at that age where he likes to ask a lot of questions,” Haley leaned into her sister.

“Oh I see” Harley smiled while taking her drink that Jessica passed her.

He continued to ask her question after question while his brother just sat there and listened. Jacob clearly wasn’t as shy as him or at least hadn’t reached the age where he got shy. It wasn’t until Haley started talking to Mathew about how school was going, that stopped the young boy from asking too much. Harley then realised that he wasn’t necessarily shy, he just hadn’t been able to get a word in. 

“Are you having a boy or a girl?” Mathew then turned to Harley.

Harley had momentarily spaced out so she blinked down at him before answering, “I’m not too sure yet, what do you think I’ll have?”

He hummed in thought, “a boy?”

“I knew you’d say that,” his father chuckled. “When are you due again?” he then asked his sister,

“April I think, sometime around there” Harley remembered slowly as she scratched her head.

“You don’t keep track?” Jessica asked from the other side of the boys.

“Well I didn’t see the point in picking a specific date, seeing as I’ll probably have it early.”

“You will? That’s not good,” Jessica voiced with concern “how come?”

“Uh” Harley stuttered as she didn’t want to go into detail with children in the room.

“It’s not really appropriate for… certain people,” Haley spoke up for her as she shifted her eyes towards the boys who seemed oblivious.

“Oh I see” Jessica realised, Harley then got up and headed towards the kitchen to get some more water.

“So what’s going on with the baby then, Harley?” Connor asked as he shut the kitchen door behind himself as she entered.

Harley jumped slightly from not expecting to be followed and spun round to face him. She sighed, “I don’t want to go into detail but something isn’t right. The baby isn’t doing well, the doctor doesn’t even think I’ll make it to full term.”

“Jeez, I didn’t know it was that serious. Mum told me about the argument and that you had problems but damn,” He told her sincerely as he approached.

“I bet you’re gonna say I should abort like everyone else, right?” she grumbled.

“Is that what Dr Fletcher suggested?” He asked with surprise.

“Pretty much, and Haley kinda agrees.”

Connor sighed, “you never know what will happen Harley, this kid may surprise you. I may not understand why you’re doing this exactly, but I don’t blame you if you’re not ready to give up yet” He comforted with a hand on her shoulder.

“Why do you have such a problem with this?” Harley asked him with genuine curiosity as she stepped away.

He stared at her, unsure if she was being serious. “I know the chances of this child having the same mentality as its father are low but it is still possible. That and you’re putting us in danger by including us in the secret, what if he finds out some day?”

Harley looked to the floor, “I didn’t really think of it like that, I just wanted this child to be safe and grow up around normal people. You guys were my best bet because if I gave it to you lot I could still visit, I wouldn’t get that if I gave it up for adoption.”

“I guess, Just don’t let him find out.” And with that Connor left to join the others again, leaving Harley with her thoughts.


	11. Chapter 11

Harley Just couldn’t help herself anymore, after six months she finally gave into her temptation and flicked on the Gotham news channel. She really missed The Joker and had even put on one of his old purple t-shirts that he used to sleep in, up until she stole it from his draw when she left. She wasn’t just wearing it because she missed him, she had also outgrown her own usual tops. Although she wasn’t as big as most women at this stage in the pregnancy, it was enough to make her clothes tight.

His name wasn’t at any point on the screen, just the customary riot and such. It did state that Poison Ivy had been captured though, Harley felt a little bad at that. She chose to leave Ivy out of the situation as she knew she wouldn’t be supportive, she’d probably be even more furious with her because she actually knew The Joker, unlike her family.

She turned to searching his name online to see if anything came up, but nothing. She narrowed her eyes at her phone screen in confusion; he hadn’t appeared in the news at all, that wasn’t normal for him. Chewing her bottom lip, she began to ponder if he was okay; she knew he could act stupid when she wasn’t around to calm him down. Her mind then suddenly got distracted by an unusual pain in her stomach, she winced at it and drew in a deep breath before feeling the area. The baby hadn’t moved, she knew that much. It wasn’t even a sharp pain like she’d read, but more of an ache. Haley was at work so she couldn’t message her about it so she reluctantly turned to texting Jessica. She responded quickly with suggesting that it could be just a cramp, but still advised her to contact the doctor just to be sure.

For the first time, Harley was attending an appointment without her sister. The doctor had asked to see her that day, knowing her issues. She couldn’t have picked a better day to get pains, it was a horrible rainy day in February and she had to walk to the clinic. She continued to feel the pains in the waiting room, and was unable to distract herself with the décor because of it. She couldn’t even watch other people because the only ones in there were her, the receptionist and an old man sleeping in a chair. She did get another glimpse at the strange doctor who bumped into her at the start, moving past on the other side of the clear double doors that lead to the examination rooms. She never got to see his face, not just because he didn’t have short hair, he was always rushing around. She didn’t even know why she found him so unusual, yet she couldn’t help but wonder.

When she was finally called, her doctor asked her to immediately lie on the bed so she could have a feel around. “And you’re saying these just started? You didn’t do anything, like lift something heavy?”

“No, I was just watching TV” Harley told her, wincing every now and again at the pressure of the doctors cold hands.

Dr Fletcher twisted her face with concern and grabbed the gel from the counter top, “I need to do a scan” she stated quickly.

Once the screen came to life she frowned at the image, the baby was a bit bigger than before but still undeveloped.

“Can you tell what it is?” Harley asked.

“It’s a girl” she told her without taking her eyes away from the scan. Harley smiled briefly until the doctor continued, “the baby is straining you, your body is struggling to cope with whatever is wrong. Her heart is barely beating and her lungs don’t function, I just can’t figure out why. I even got opinions from my colleagues on the subject, without giving away your identity of course, they didn’t even know.”

“So what are you saying, that I should just get rid of it?” Harley squeaked while propping herself up on her elbows.

The Doctor put the wand down and faced Harley fully with regret in her eyes. “I’m sorry but this is getting dangerous for you now, either the baby will die or you’ll both die. She has a 10% chance of survival at most.”

“I can’t believe this” Harley Whimpered in an angry tone as she swung her legs round so she could sit up, ignoring the gel that still lingered on her stomach. “I can’t believe you and everyone else wants me to abort!” Harley yelled as tears ran down her cheeks. “I’ve had enough of this,” she then growled before standing up and storming out of the room, towards the exit, leaving a shocked and speechless doctor.

He watched her leave, just like every other time, before collecting the new data on the infant. He had planted recording devises in the room so he could stay up to date on the progress of his child, as well as in the house Harley was living in. He knew about everything that was going on, watching her wherever she went. She hadn’t seemed to notice him, blending in with a wig and foundation, even when he collided with her in that hallway.

He knew what was wrong, He’d always known, but enjoyed watching Harley suffer. Thinking she can hide something so huge from him doesn’t go unpunished. It was his, he was responsible for its existence, and Its inevitable death. It had the disease, he knew no doctor can cure such a thing. Even the cure he was given was created by a gadget wielding bat, and not even that could save the child. This child was a mutation, it wasn’t infected with the disease, it was made from it. Killing it, would only kill her.

He wondered if it was possible and looked into it for months, but he finally discovered that he could in fact treat it, potentially saving the baby’s life. The question that hovered in the air above him hadn’t just been ‘can I cure it?’ but also ‘do I want to?’ That he wasn’t sure of. Harley didn’t deserve to have this child; he thought she deserved to be left alone, to suffer the horrific trauma of a miscarriage. He knew that she wouldn’t have it any other way, she’d rather let it die naturally then have someone remove it. He thought her will to carry on, hoping that it will be alright was amusing, because he knew that that wasn’t going to happen, this child was not going to even have a chance of survival unless Harley took an antidote.

But on the other hand, he was curious to find out what this child would be like. Considering how everyone else who was infected with the disease was turning into him, what would a child be like if it was not only infected, but was actually related to him as well. Such a child could not have the life Harley so desperately wants it to have, It would be locked away without a second thought. The only option is for him to keep it, but that idea alone was nauseating to think about. Did he want a child? Was his curiosity to watch it grow, stronger that his desire to watch Harley suffer? He’d had six months to think about it and he still didn’t know.


	12. Chapter 12

Haley had come home from work to find Harley a snivelling wreck in her bedroom, while clutching her stomach protectively. She eventually told her the situation and even though it was now affecting her body, she still would not get rid of it. Haley tried to reason with her but nothing helped, she even suggested that if she got rid of this one she can try to get Joker to impregnate her again, because it probably wouldn’t be that hard to do. This idea wasn’t very well accepted due to the fact that Haley almost got punched for it.

Harley just continued on with her life as if she didn’t have aches and pains. She still did yoga and walked about to stay healthy, and she still took all the needed vitamins as if it could make a difference. She had gone shopping for new clothes as the baby continued to grow, and ignored all of her family’s comments. They still could not convince her to stop, she acted as if their voices were just white noise. They had tried to tell her that if the baby did in fact make it, the medical bills to keep her alive would be horrendous, but not even that fazed Harley. Not only had she gotten bigger in the stomach department, but she was also getting pale and thinner. This was what worried her family the most; this child was in fact killing her but slowly. No matter what she ate, she was still getting worse.

That had all tried to talk to her individually by phone on in person, but they had now organised to meet up together at Haley’s for one last go. So when Harley and her sister came home one evening from the grocery store, and she went into the living room to relax, she got quite the shock. They were all seated on the sofa, waiting for her when she stopped dead in the doorway.

“What’s going on?” She asked with worry as she turned to Haley for an explanation.

“Harley please sit down, we’re worried about you,” this was all her sister said as she gently coaxed her to the armchair.

Harley reluctantly did and held a suspicious look, “worried, about what?” she asked with an exasperated sigh.

“You,” their mother spoke as Haley sat on the arm rest of the sofa. “Have you looked at yourself recently, you look like a ghost.”

Harley scanned herself at the mention, “I do?”

“Yes Harley, that isn’t normal” Jessica told her softly.

Harley sighed again, bored with the same talk, “is there any part of me that is normal?”

Her mother scowled, “that’s not the point, Harley and you know it.”

Conner placed a hand on his mother’s shoulder, signalling her to calm down. “What we’re trying to tell you is that this pregnancy is damaging you, you know that this child won’t make it so why are you doing this to yourself?”

Harley went silent, “I don’t want to lose this, I may never get another opportunity like this so I don’t want to throw it away,” she confessed quietly.

“Why do you need to do this so badly? It’s not like anyone wants it to live except you, and your not even willing to raise it!” her mother spat.

The others winced at that, they didn’t want this to be an argument and they could tell by the way Harley was looking at her, that this was about to become one.

“Why don’t you want this child to live, what is your problem?” Harley yelled as she sat up straight.

“You know exactly what our problem is; It’s parents are a deranged, psychopathic killing clown and a lousy excuse for a daughter, who abandoned her family to become a killer herself!” Her mother continued to shout.

Harley stared at her with her mouth parted in shock, “do you guys feel the same?” she asked the others quietly after a pause, hoping that they would say no. They just looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Harley nodded her head in understanding, “I think you lot should leave.”

“Harley.”

“You two Haley, I need to be alone,” She interjected her sister with venom. They all just quietly stood up and made their way off, not knowing what else to do, and as soon as they shut the door Harley burst into tears. She knew that they were right, about everything, that’s what made her tears hurt even more. They were right about who she became, and about what she should do with the baby. The idea however, still wasn’t what she wanted. Even though her body was begging her, her heart said no, and her mind was conflicted between the two. All three things which made up a person, was having an argument with each other.

“I miss Mr J!” she screamed into the ceiling as tears continued to run down her malnourished skin. After a few more moment of crying, she’d calmed down a bit and sluggishly made her way upstairs to her room.

Upon opening the door and switching on the light, she saw the very person she’d called for, sitting on her bed looking at her.

“Surprise!” He grinned with a full smile. Her eyes bulged at the sight and she stumbled back against the hallway wall with a scream. This reaction made him double over with laughter as he slapped his knee.

“Mr-Mr J?” she breathed with a hand over her racing heart.

“You should have seen your face!” he howled, “Never gets old!”

“Wh-what are you doing here?!”

Once he finally composed himself he breathed in deep, “Oh the question of the hour.” He then got to his feet, “I think the real question is; what are _you_ doing here?” he began to walk towards her slowly, and if she wasn’t already leaning against a wall, she would have stepped back even more.

“Is this really the life you used to have? Talk about boring” He gestured around dramatically. “Not to mention the people, they’re all so negative,” He spoke slowly with intimidation.

Harley breathed heavily in fear as he got closer, “How did you find me?”

“Why I followed you of course,” he then stopped in front of her.

“Followed me?” She then had a realisation as her eyes widened, he smiled at her. “Have you been watching me? That doctor, was that you?” 

He chuckled, “so you did wonder?”

Harley continued to think about the last seven months, “What do you know?” She finally asked quietly as her body drooped in defeat.

“Everything” he told her darkly, “It’s been quite the show.”

She then looked down at her stomach and sighed, “When did you find out and how?” 

He knew what she was referring to as he glanced at the same thing, “the day you left,” he turned and wandered back into the room as she slowly followed with caution. “You really should remember to take out the trash,” he continued, facing her.

Harley stopped just after the door frame as she realised, “oh.”

He sauntered about the room, “I am so disappointed in you, Harley. To think you would do such a thing as run away and try to hide. Do you realise how mad you made me?”

Harley froze at the last part.

“However,” he continued before stopping in front of her again. “Because I’ve been watching you, I know exactly why you did it. So I’m not as mad as I was, but not over it enough to see you sooner.”

She gave him a quizzical look “what do you mean?”

“I was letting you suffer for what you did,” He told her. “I’m surprised myself with how long you’ve lasted, because look at you,” He gestured to her body dramatically in a lighter tone, “you’re almost as pale as me! And the weight you’ve lost in the face; I can see your cheekbones.”

“You did all this just so you can attempt to bring a new monster into the world?” He asked in a patronizing voice.

Harley lowered her head in shame, “It hasn’t worked though has it? This baby isn’t going to see the light of day” she uttered with despair, “I’ve failed it.”

“Aww, have you finally lost hope?”

She merely nodded as a tear fell.

The Joker sighed at her face and rolled his eyes. “Well I can tell you that there wasn’t anything you could have done, aside from staying home of course.”

She lifted her head to meet his gaze, “how so?”

“This is an extremely unfortunate child, and I’m surprised you never put the pieces together yourself. I knew exactly what was wrong with it from the start, and that it probably wouldn’t survive.”

Harley narrowed her eyes, “That was my punishment? Not telling me what was wrong with our child just so I got to suffer?”

“Yes,” he told her happily. “It was the only way to teach you a lesson, I’m stalling even now,” He chuckled.

“Stalling what?” She asked now calmer and more frustrated.

He laughed at her impatience “What I came here to tell you.”

“Which is?!” she begged, while gesturing for him to continue with her hands.

He laughed some more, “that the baby is infected with the titan disease!”

Harley’s eyes went wide for a moment, before she began to think it over. “She was conceived when you were still infected,” she gasped. The Joker nodded enthusiastically, “She got it from your blood just like the others!”

“Yes, oh well done Harley!” He clapped.

“Wait, was that all you came here to tell me?” She then asked, cutting the enthusiasm short.

“No, no of cause not,” He sighed. “Because watching you suffer is no longer fun, I came to tell you that I’m willing to try and cure the thing.”

Harley’s eyes lit up and she instantly threw he arms around his neck and hugged him tight, “oh my god are you really, J?! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

He grunted at the unexpected force and stumbled back slightly before pulling away, “but on one condition.”

She stared up at him with sparkling eyes, just ready to say yes.

“For you to come home and for us to raise the kid, because if anyone should keep it, it’s gonna be us.”

She paused and glanced to the side, thinking over his proposition. “You know that’s kinda two propositions,” she told him playfully as she stepped closer.

“Even so, so what’s it gonna be, dollface?”

She smiled up at him, “I think I want to come home.”

He cupped her face and smiled, “Don’t I know it.”


	13. Chapter 13

“Do you think I should let my sister know that I’m doing this?” Harley asked Joker nonchalantly, as she shoved the remainder of her things eagerly into her second suitcase.

The question caused him to pause his texting as he lounged in the dark green armchair that was placed in the corner. “Of course not,” he answered with slight agitation, “could you not tell that she never wanted you here to begin with?”

“A simple no would have sufficed,” she scowled.

He chuckled in response before returning to his phone, “will you just hurry up.”

“You know, this would have been done quicker if you helped me,” She countered while battling with the zipper to do it up.

“I don’t know where you keep your things in this place,” he argued.

“Says the person who’s been watching me for over half a year” she scoffed. “Can you at least carry these? I’m not meant to life anything heavy.”

He rolled his eyes before stuffing his phone into his pocket and stood up. Upon pulling the red case off the bed, it landed with a thud on the ground. “Maybe they wouldn’t be so heavy if you didn’t have so much stuff” he commented.

Harley folded her arms, “Well I was planning on living here for almost a year.”

The Joker shook his head before heading out of the room and towards the stairs with the cases in tow, “I still can’t believe you thought I wouldn’t notice you gone.”

“You don’t usually notice me not being there,” she defended, following him.

“Yeah but for a whole year?” He asked, stopping in his tracks to look at her.

“Oh I don’t know, I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Really? You know I couldn’t tell” He spoke with sarcasm as he began descending the stairs. “Now, are you sure you’ve got everything?” He asked her once they reached the front door.

Harley grabbed her coat from the rack and threw it around her before glancing around the home for the last time. “Can we do one last thing before we go?” She finally asked him with a hopeful smile.

He raised a brow at her tone, “and what is that?”

“Set fire to my mother’s car, she really loves that thing apparently.”

He grinned down at her, “Oh Harley I thought you’d never ask, but are you sure we can’t just hurt her physically?”

She sighed, “Yeah she’s still my mother after all, and I’ve only got the one.”

“Fair enough, but don’t blame me if something else happens to her,” he told her as he pulled the door open.

A flash of concern spread across her face, “I know she’s been awful to me and the baby but she doesn’t deserve death.”

“Yet she believes our child does.”

Harley was silent as she watched him head out, “You got me there, but let’s just stick with the car for now.”

“Anything for you pumpkin,” He smiled down at her as they walked up the drive and down the dark street, side by side.

Once inside the familiar purple car that had been hidden in the shadows, Harley sighed blissfully as she rested her head against the leather headrest, “I can’t wait to get home and change into decent clothes.”

The Joker chuckled as he turned on the engine, “Yeah I was gonna say that blue jeans, hoodies and plain tank tops don’t suit you, red and black is always the best.”

She looked over him with tired eyes “Oh I know, but I had to fit in somehow.”

The two watched the blazing inferno that was the woman’s car from a distant hill, all while giggling as her mother could be seen in hysterics over the tragedy. They then retreated to the car to make the long trip back to Gotham, before the fire brigade had even showed up.

Harley had stared up at the night sky from her window, allowing a wave of calmness to consume her. She was so relieved to be heading home, that she didn’t even realise herself dosing off into a peaceful slumber.

....

“Wakey, wakey Harley,” She heard distantly from her sleep, “don’t go thinking I’m gonna carry you inside.”

She opened her eyes and peered over at the voice, unsure if she was dreaming or if it was real, “Mr J?”

“Come on lazy bones,” he urged before climbing out of his side.

She rubbed her eyes and scanned her surroundings. She was at amusement mile, and the sun could be seen rising in the distance as the sky began to turn from a blue to a peachy colour. She opened her car door and shuddered as the cold air flooded in, before swinging her legs towards the ground, but stopped when she felt another twinge of pain. The Joker had already unloaded the two luggage bags, and had walked towards the front door of the funhouse. She carefully stood and shut the door with one hand over her stomach, before slowly walking over to join him as the pain continued.

“We don’t have all morning, Harley” The Joker grumbled as he approached and aided her to walk faster.

“Sorry, just another pain” she winced.

As she passed the threshold, she inhaled the comforting smell of her home before walking towards the living room to sit down.

“Go to the bedroom, Harley” The Joker told her sternly without looking her way as he headed towards his lab.

She stopped mid step at the command before groaning and going upstairs instead. She immediately stripped off her clothes, pulled out a red nightgown from her draw and climbed into the messy purple sheets of the bed, sighing contently as she did so. Soon after that He appeared with a test tube of florescent green liquid and handed it to her.

She eyed it suspiciously, “You drink it, Harley” he spoke impatiently.

“Is this it?”

“The first of many, the kid has to get the meds through you until it’s born, now drink up.”

She hovered her nose over the top but no smell presented itself. Hoping that it would have no taste as well, she threw the substance back in a single gulp. Her assumption was unfortunately very wrong, as she instantly scrunched up her face in distaste before shoving the tube back towards The Joker, eager to get it away from her. He laughed at her child-like response as he turned and left the room again.

She quickly looked to her bedside table for some form of drink to wash it down, but frowned when she saw nothing. Instead she reached across the bed to other side and took a swig of J’s drink. When he returned, he sluggishly changed his own clothes as she watched, before climbing in bed next to her.

“Do you want to feel?” she asked him, patting her belly.

He raised a brow before placing a hand over her warm stomach, “It’s very hard, I’m not sure why but I always pictured it to be rather squishy.”

Harley chuckled, but it was suddenly replaced with a gasp when she felt a faint kick from within. “Holy crap, she moved! You made her mover, I can’t believe it!”

He laughed with his hand still over the bump, “Calm down, Harley I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.”

“I don’t care, she still moved for the first time when you felt her.” The Joker only rolled his eyes before removing his hand and sliding down the bed, turning away from her. “Does this mean no cuddling?” Harley pouted to his back.

“You can do what you wish but I’m still mad at you” he grumbled.

She smiled happily and scooted up as close as she could, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I really missed you, Puddin,” She muttered into his back before drifting off to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

She wore all black, standing in a dark and foggy field with no clue where she was. She looked at her feet and In front of her lay a casket the size of a briefcase. It hovered above a deep, rectangular hole before it slowly began to descend into the darkness. Then from out of the fog, The Joker appeared from the other side of the grave, dressed in a long purple robe with a black book in hand. He began to read from it, words she could not make out. Rain began to pour as he read, and the sound of a screaming infant could be heard in the distance. It got louder and louder until it was all her she could hear. She looked at her hands to find them dripping with blood, before finding the source at her stomach as more blood ran down her legs.

Harley jolted upright in the bed, covered in sweat and breathing heavily. Her eyes scanned the surroundings before landing on The Joker. He was standing by his draws, half dressed with his orange shirt only partly buttoned up, staring at her with a confused yet slightly agitated look on his face, It’s as if she had startled him.

Her eyes then quickly looked down at her stomach and she sighed in relief, “Oh thank god” she panted. “Sorry, I’ve been getting a lot of nightmares lately” she told him as he continued to stare at her.

“You don’t say” he commented, carrying on with his task of buttoning up his shirt. Harley then climbed out of bed and gave him a sudden hug from behind, he paused again at the contact.

“But usually every time I wake up I’m alone, looking for you” she explained quietly before pulling away, “I’m gonna go take a shower now.”

He turned to face her, “you do get yourself into some strange situations, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I know,” she sighed.

A calm and relaxing shower later, Harley made her way across the landing in a towel, now on a hunt for something that would fit her. She stopped at the doorway when she noticed a mysterious brown paper bag, sitting on the end of the bed. She peeked inside and her eyes lit up, before eagerly pulling each item out. Inside were two pairs of black maternity leggings that were soft to the touch, a black tank top that changed to red below the breasts, and had no elastic at the bottom for free movement, and finally a similar top but all black, with red ribbons as the straps.

She squealed with glee and changed immediately, picking the first top to wear. She looked herself up and down in the full length mirror, she couldn’t stop twirling as the top swayed from left to right, and as for the leggings; they were the comfiest pair she had even worn.

After putting her hair up into pigtails, she skipped off to find J. He had been sat at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and reading the paper when she appeared. She stood in front of him all giddy and excited, chewing her bottom lip as he lowered his reading material to look at her.

“It looks better on you then it did the mannequin,” He grinned.

“Thank you Mr J!” she squeaked, wrapping her arms around his shoulders before kissing him passionately.

“It’s good to see you looking and acting your old self again, pumpkin” he spoke softly.

Harley smiled in return before standing up straight, “Now where are my babies?” she called, looking around.

“They're probably outside, Just try not to let them pop you” he answered, returning his eyes to the paper.

“I’m not a balloon ya know” Harley scolded, placing her hands on her hips.

“Could have fooled me,” he countered.

She shook her head at his response before quickly making her way towards the front door.

Once outside, she proceeded to call their names. Shortly after she heard the familiar high pitched sounds as the creatures came bounded towards her. “There you are!” she yelled in delight as she knelt on the floor. The two large animals franticly covered her in wet kisses, and happily jumped all around her, “aw did you two miss me?”

As soon as they had calmed down, they instantly became curious of her growing stomach as they began to sniff at it. Harley chuckled and stroked their heads, “I thought you two would notice that, that’s gonna be your new sister.” As if responding to her statement; the two laid down beside her and rested their heads on her thighs. “I bet you three are gonna become the best of friends” she cooed before feeling another kick from within.

After not having checked her phone since she got back, Harley went to the bedroom to put her phone on charge. Once the device came to life, it bombarded her with numerous messages and missed calls, all of which were from her family. As she looked though them, most of them were about where she was. Her brother, sister and sister-in law seemed worried, yet her mother was accusing her of what happened to her car. Harley knew that her mother’s priorities had changed over the years, but the fact that none her messages referenced her whereabouts, really proved her point. All she went on about was her stupid car, and one of them was saying how glad she was now that she had gone.

“Find anything good?” The Joker asked as he walked into the room and sat next to her on the bed.

“My mother is glad I’m gone,” she sighed. “The others are wondering where I am, but they can probably guess that I’ve come home.”

“Was she always that crabby, or was it something that happened after your dad died?”

“Always,” she answered. “Hey, when do I need to next take more of that green stuff?” she then asked, changing the subject.

The Joker got to his feet, “twice a week should do, but it depends how the kid responds to it. If she doesn’t get better I’ll just up the dose.”

Harley looked at him with knitted brows, “Why did you decide to help her?”

The Joker had turned to leave but stopped at the question, “curiosity” he answered bluntly.

She frowned “What does that mean?”

He sighed, “To see what she’s like.” Harley just blinked up at him in confusion, he mirrored her expression, wondering if she had realised how the child will most likely look. “Never mind,” he groaned before walking out the door, He was never one to ruin surprises.


	15. Chapter 15

“Wow, you’ve really outdone yourself in here,” Harley grinned as she looked around the newly refurbished medical room that resided in the basement, next to The Jokers lab a week later. It always had a computer and medical bed in the centre but it never looked clean, that was until now as it would be used to examine the baby, it even had all the necessary equipment that they would need.

“How did you know what equipment was needed?” she asked, walking around the room.

The Joker leaned on the doorframe “Our doctor of course, he knows the situation already so we don’t need to fill him in.”

Harley stopped to gaze at the pristine sliver tools that lay neatly on the tray “You even got it all clean,” she swooned.

“Well you will be delivering it in here.”

She looked over at him quizzically and sat on the bed, “I will? This bed isn’t that comfy.”

“Harley, you’re gonna be uncomfortable either way,” he laughed.

....

“Hello my dear, Long-time no see” the doctor smiled as he entered the room,

“Hey” she greeted nervously from where she lay “J, can you hold my hand?”

He frowned in annoyance from where he stood, before relenting as she continued to reach her hand out towards him, and sat down in the chair. “Now there’s no need to be nervous,” the doctor comforted as he removed his coat and turned on the computer, “I’ve done this before.”

Harley shuffled uneasily on the bed “I was more concerned with the fact that my daughter might be dead,”

The Joker laughed at her bluntness “So full of confidence, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she’s still alive” he reassured, listening to her stomach with his stethoscope, “Now let’s have a look at her shell we.”

The picture displayed her small figure as she twitched from time to time, “Her heart beat does seem a little a stronger” Harley smiled as she listened.

“See, she’s doing fine” the doctor spoke as he moved the wand around to see her entire form. “She might not have changed too much but she’s only had a couple of doses so far. You’re not due for another seven or eight weeks, am I correct?”

“I suppose” Harley agreed, although still unsure. “What do you think, J?”

“What are the chances of her arriving sooner?” he asked as he drew his eyes away from the screen. Harley joined him in looking up at their doctor.

“It’s possible,” he sighed. “Your body is clearly struggling so it could potentially give out at any time, but we want this baby to stay where she is for as long possible.”

“So you’re saying I’m like a ticking time bomb?” Harley asked in disbelief.

“In a way yes so take it easy.”

Later on that day, Harley was watching the Gotham news channel with Bud and Lou at her sides. She was relieved to find that Ivy had escaped Arkham, leaving it looking like the botanical gardens.

“Maybe I should call Ivy?” she spoke aloud as Joker walked into the room to grab his duffel bag from the armchair.

“Does she know that you’re pregnant?”

Harley fiddled with the buttons on the remote, “Nope.”

He looked her with a baffled expression, “you mean she doesn’t know about any of this? I thought you told each other everything.”

“Well we kinda had a fight, one of her plants attacked Lou, so I may of went at it with weed killer.”

He chuckled, “wish I was around to see that.”

“Do you have to go out,” she then asked as he filled his pockets.

The Joker exhaled at her neediness “Harley, I can’t babysit you all the time, I’m only going to the ice burg lounge anyway.”

Harley pouted, “I wish I could come, now that I’m back home I can’t go out anywhere.”

He threw the bag over his shoulder, “You wouldn’t be able to go out anywhere even if you were still with your sister, the doctor said you need to stay put.”

Harley sighed and looked down at her lap, “Just don’t go getting captured okay.”

He cupped her face in his hand, regaining eye contact “why do you think I’m only going to the lounge, and if I see the plant I’ll tell her you said hi.”

When The Joker came back later that night, expecting Harley to be asleep, he furrowed his brow when he got through the door. The kitchen light was on as it seeped underneath the closed door, and the sound of faint humming could be heard from the other side. He checked his watch, it was nearly one in the morning. Upon opening the door, all he saw was Harley’s back as she was fiddling with something on the lime green worktop. “Harley?”

She spun around to face him with a smile on her pale face. From looking at the love heart themed apron she had on, covered in flour and icing; he got the impression that she was baking of some sort. “What are you doing?” he asked in a tired voice.

“I’m baking a cake” she answered with glee,

“Why?”

“Well I couldn’t sleep you see, and I really wanted cake for some reason, but we don’t have any so I’m making one.”

He walked into the room and scanned the mess she’d made, “Harley you can’t even cook pasta, let alone a cake.”

“I can try,” she defended as she turned back round and continued to roll out the chocolate icing.

“True, you can try but you’re not gonna eat it,” he told her sternly.

“Why not,” she asked, still rolling.

The Joker folded his arms across his chest “Because the last thing we need is for you give this kid food poisoning.”

“Oh don’t worry about that” she dismissed facing him, “It’ll be cooked.”

Just then the fire alarm went off and a cloud of black smoke began to flood out of the oven. “Were you going for cooked or burned?” He asked, unfazed by the sudden chaos.

“Crap!” Harley cursed as she advanced on the smoke.

“Move out the way!” The Joker shoved, as he dumped his bag on the floor and grabbed the blue oven mitts from the counter. “Or perhaps you were aiming for charred?” he continued, pulling out a black lump from the oven and setting it down. Harley just stared at it with wide eyes, “You can’t even tell that it’s a cake” He commented, giving it a prod as it crumpled inwards.

“J, can you go get me cake?” Harley then asked, ignoring the mess.

He growled at her ignorance “no! Eat proper food if you’re hungry, we both know you need it.”

“But I haven’t been hungry” she pouted,

He grabbed the baking tin and emptied the whole thing into the bin, “do I look like I care, you still need to eat.”

“I had a sandwich earlier.”

He turned to face her “What was in it?” he asked with a hand on his hip.

She was silent for a moment, “Chocolate spread” she admitted with defeat.

The Joker threw his head back and groaned, “Go to bed.”

Harley silently obeyed, still pouting, leaving Joker to clean up.


	16. Chapter 16

As each week past, the child continued to grow and although the medication was helping her, she was still developing incredibly slowly. There wasn’t much else they could do, Harley had to just keep taking the antidote. She still took her vitamins as well to help maintain her stability, even though they couldn’t bring the colour back to her cheeks. The Joker had to keep an eye on her whenever she prepared food for herself, this was because whenever her stomach grew in size, the rest of her would shrink. She did eat plenty of fruit and veg but that wasn’t the issue, the problem was that she wasn’t eating enough, she only ever had small portions or claim that she was full.

Her back had gotten pretty painful by this point so she spent more and more time sitting or lying down, but that didn’t bug her because she was always sleepy and lethargic anyway. The Joker had questioned whether or not she was infected as well due to the state she was in, but her blood came out clean. That and the doctor had told him that it was normal in cases like this. The child was essentially a parasite after all, just feeding off of the host, consuming whatever they ate, so if the mother wasn’t eating right or not enough then it could have drastic results.

She never blamed the baby for what she was doing to her, not even just to release some of the frustration. Although the option was no longer available she had told him that she still wouldn’t abort. He couldn’t understand why she was so attached to it, he knew she always wanted to be a mother but he didn’t know it was this badly. Part of him believed that she had a fantasy in mind; that the baby would look just like her and was into all things pink, like a real girly-girl. He knew the reality however, he just wasn’t sure if she did.

Seeing as it was getting closer to the due date, The Joker and his men had stolen the NICU incubator from the hospital, there was no way that the child would be able to survive without one. He hadn’t even bothered getting a cot yet, but he did start to accumulate the other baby items from storage warehouses. Other than that he didn’t go out very often, he went to the ice burg lounge every now and then to socialize and keep up appearances but that was about it. If a job needed to be done he mainly just planned the heists and sent his men off to accomplish them. He knew that he couldn’t just do nothing because if he stayed low for too long, Batman and his associates would grow suspicious.

Harley was currently alone on a rainy night, doing the washing up. She probably wasn’t meant to be doing it but someone obviously had to. The Joker was out as usual so it was just her and the hyenas. She didn’t like it when he went out this close to her date, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. She was trying to keep her mind occupied the best she could, which is why she wasn’t just resting. Even though she was back home and her child’s health was being handled, she still couldn’t help but fear that she might lose her.

Her mind tried to wander off again as she stared into the bubble covered liquid with an empty expression, but for once all she could think about was how much her back was hurting her for being stood for too long. She hadn’t quite finished yet but still glanced at the drying rack next to her, to see if she’d done a satisfactory amount to take a break. Judging by the fact that it was practically full, she sighed tiredly and removed the yellow gloves from her now clammy hands. She turned around to go back into the living room but forgot to realise that she’d spilt water all over the floor around her.

She slipped instantly, screaming as she did so and hit her head against the cupboard on the way down. She wasn’t sure how she landed but it wasn’t good, a shooting pain went up her spine and burned in her stomach. Her vision grew hazy, she’d messed up and bad, her body continued to burn as she tried to move. She wanted to stand but her legs wouldn’t work, it felt like they were being held down with force. The pressure grew heavier as it spread throughout her form until her vision went dark. It kept coming back only to leave again just as fast, she attempted to scream for The Joker but remembered that he wasn’t there. Ringing soon blared in her ears, drowning out her own voice as her vision continued to fail her.

Then another voice appeared but she could make out what it was saying, just a muffle. Someone was shaking her, she opened her heavy eyes and only saw the blurry outline of Joker’s face, shouting something at her before everything returned to darkness. She still couldn’t move although she desperately wanted to, he must have been trying to get her to stand because she could feel him pulling her upwards, but nothing worked. Suddenly the ground beneath her vanished, she was being lifted up. She tried to speak to him but nothing came out as she continued to slip in and out of consciousness.

When she came too again, a bright light was looming over her with two figures on either side. She still couldn’t hear and her vision was not cooperating, she felt pressure on her already agonising stomach and tried to scream again but nothing. She had no Idea where she was or what was going on, they tried to talk to her as they both got closer to her face, she just wished that she could hear what they were saying. Her body then tensed up as a wave of pain hit and this time she did scream, but she quickly passed out again. She could still hear them faintly but it was as if she was moving away, she thought she could hear J screaming at her in a pleading voice, but she was helpless. The baby, who was usually moving had stopped throughout all of this and it was only adding to her fear.

The pain once again intensified, she felt like her body was braking. She wasn’t sure of anything anymore, was she dying? was the baby dying? or were they both dying? She didn’t want to die, she tried to move her arms but they were like jelly, she wanted grab The Joker and never let go. He sounded scared, she didn’t even know if that was possible. Maybe she was having another nightmare, it certainly seemed like it.

The only thing she was certain of was that this was her fault, she should have stayed on the sofa, resting. Suddenly something was forced over her mouth just as she was fading, and then it all went to black completely. 


	17. Chapter 17

Harley awoke to the soft beating of what she can only assume is a heart monitor, as her other senses returned to her it was very prominent that her body ached and burned beyond belief. Her vision slowly came into focus for the first time in what felt like forever. The first thing she saw was a blood and IV bag standing tall, next to her. She followed the tubes that leaded into the back of her right hand and she wiggled her stiff fingers. That’s when she noticed her stomach; she narrowed her eyes, it seemed smaller than she remembered. Her eyes then travelled around the room groggily, trying to get her bearings and remember how she got there.

“You’re awake,” came a relieved voice from the doorway. She looked in the direction to see The Joker, who was leaning on the doorframe, before he pushed himself away and walked over towards her.

“What happened?” she croaked,

He sat down in the chair, looking just as tired as she did “You almost died, is what happened” he spoke quietly in a heavy tone, “Technically you did, twice.”

She furrowed her brows “I did?”

“Yes” he scowled at her.

She took notice that this obviously disturbed him as she gave him an apologetic look. “I remember washing up, the rest is hazy.” she placed a hand on her stomach and winced in pain, it was in fact smaller and covered in a thick bandage. “Wait a second” she breathed, now in a panic “I’m not pregnant anymore!”

The Joker quickly took her hand, trying to get her attention “Harley, listen to me.”

“Where is she, J?” She asked as the heart monitor sped up from her growing restlessness.

“Harley calm down, she’s alive” He told her sternly, shuffling closer. Harley just looked at him pleadingly, desperate for information. “When you fell, you started to bleed internally. We had to deliver her, you would not have made it otherwise.”

“You cut her out of me?!” She whimpered, tears surfacing. “It wasn’t time yet!”

He gave her a hard look “you were the one who fell, Harley” he stated in a calm yet strict voice, “You both would have died.”

Harley took a deep breath, allowing the information to sink in “Where is she?”

The Joker sighed exhaustedly, “she’s in the next room.”

“Is she okay?”

He paused, “well, when she came out she wasn’t moving or breathing, but she was alive. I didn’t even get to hold her, the doctor had to hook her straight up to the machine.”

Harley watched him in horror, “Can I see her?” she asked quietly.

He considered her request “first I need to tell you something?”

“What is it?”

He looked at her hand as he held it for a moment, “she probably doesn’t look how you imagined, so don’t freak out when you see her.”

She eyed him suspiciously, “that’s not very comforting.”

He then stood up and a few minutes later, him and the doctor was wheeling in the NICU and set it up in the corner of the room as Harley watch curiously, trying to get a peek but it was too high up for her to see.

“How are you feeling, my dear?” The doctor asked her as he approached to check her vitals.

“I hurt all over” She groaned,

He nodded, “that’s to be expected, can you feel your legs?”

She wiggled her toes, “I’ve got pins and needles but that’s about it. Can I stand up to see her now?”

He hummed in thought, “I wouldn’t, we did the procedure less than twenty four hours ago, and considering that the stitched are at the bottom of your stomach it wouldn’t be wise to put pressure on them at this moment.”

She gave him a quizzical look, “How long was I out for then?”

“All night and day,” The Joker spoke from where he stood, looking into the NICU.

Her eyes widened “Really? Damn.”

“Just take it easy” the doctor spoke as he went to check on the baby.

“How can I do that when all I want to do is stand up to look at my child when she’s right there, please?” she begged.

The two men looked at each other before they approached her, she smiled as they pulled the thin covers back. “Now try not to lean forward, the doctor spoke.”

They both grabbed an arm each and carefully pulled her up onto her feet. She groaned slightly as J pulled her arm over his shoulder for support, and slowly walked over with her IV stand in toe.

Harley gasped when she eagerly looked inside, the tiny being was practically skin and bone with tubes sticking out of her from all angles, the only part of her that moved was the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Her skin glowed white as if she’d been dipped in paint and her head was covered in messy, bright green hair. Harley covered her mouth to stifle the cry she emitted from looking at the creature she had so desperately wanted to live. She had spent almost nine months anxiously waiting to see her, and now that she was, she couldn’t stop crying. She hadn’t expected her to look the way she did though, that was a bit of a surprise. On the other hand, now that she thought about It, it did make sense for her to look this way, considering what she was infected with.

The Joker eyed her reaction, “I hope those are tears of joy.”

“Yes” she choked. “She’s so small,” she then croaked after a pause as she rested her head against his chest.

The Joker laughed, “Isn’t she just” he spoke softly.

Harley reached her hand into the round hole on the side, and gently stoked her soft skin that was hot to the touch.

“What colour are her eyes?” she asked The Joker quietly, as the baby didn’t even stir at the contact. 

“I don’t know, I told you she hasn’t moved, not even when I changed her, she was like a rag doll.”

Harley chuckled and looked up at him, “you got to change her?”

“I got to learn eventually, best try and get the hang of it when she’s not going to protest.”

Harley smiled, “Who’d of thought you’d be okay with this.”

“Not you apparently,” he grumbled.

Harley sighed “yeah I’m sorry about that, but you can’t blame me when you always acted the way you did towards the topic of wanting a child.”

“Funny that,” he told her. “I suppose it’s similar to when people get a pet that someone in the family doesn’t want, that person always end up liking the pet the most.”

“Fair point, trust you to associate her with a pet,” she laughed.

“That’s basically what she is,” he defended. “You just wait, I bet she’ll be just like Bud and Lou, right down to the growling and playfulness.”

Harley giggled as she looked back down at the infant, trying to picture her in full health, “so you think she’ll be okay?”

He followed her eyes, “She’s held on for this long, I’m sure she’s not ready to give up yet.”

Once He returned her back to the bed he flopped down into the chair with a sigh. Harley watched him with curiosity, “Are you okay?”

He glanced at her with sunken eyes, “I’m just tired.”

“You were worried about me, weren’t you?” she asked tenderly.

“What gives you that impression?”

“Either I imagined it or I heard you screaming for me when I was out.”

He was silent for a moment, “You probably dreamed it. I was just up all night, watching the baby and checking her over, to see what her blood looked like.”

“What should we call her?” She then asked, changing the subject.

The Joker sat up straight from his slouched posture, “What did you have in mind?”

“I’ve been think of letting you pick, you have saved her and me after all, even after what I did.”

He stared at her but silently nodded, before standing and walking over to the baby. He looked at her for the longest time, reaching in and taking her small hand “How about April? it’s my favourite month of the year.

Harley smiled, “perfect.”


	18. Chapter 18

As each day passed the baby continued to just lay there; unmoving, without making a single sound. Not even the injections her father had to give her twice a week could make her stir. He had now begun to speculate that she may have dodgy nerves as well just like him, but that was purely based on her lack of response, she could just be too weak.

Harley’s stitches had gotten a little easier to deal with after three weeks, but she still spent a good amount of time in the bed. The colour had finally returned to her face and she was eating much better, but the worry for her child’s health never subsided. All she wanted to do was hold her, and the fact that she still wasn’t able to was now starting to get to her, the most her and Joker were able to do was change her.

When she did finally move, her parents weren’t even paying attention; they had just been talking about how they will need to change their lifestyle. It was the sound of her heart monitor speeding up momentarily that got them looking, and they immediately got closer. She had wriggled against the tubes as if trying to break free, but it quickly stopped as she returned to her sleeping state. They were both overjoyed with this progress and obvious sign that she was getting better, but Harley didn’t start crying again until the baby opened her eyes for a brief moment, staring up at the two with intense blue eyes. Harley didn’t even care when the doctor told them that the colour may change by the time she’s six months old, she was too busy relishing in the fact that she had her eyes and not Jokers.

....

“When are gonna stop jabbing her with needles?” Harley asked one day from her place on the bed, as she watched him give the baby her medication.

“When she’s better,” he stated flatly with his full concentration on the child’s leg.

“How will you know when she’s better?” she then asked with curiosity as she peered at the baby who lay sleeping, oblivious to what was going on.

“Her blood will be clear” he concluded, putting the needle to the side.

“Not that I’m complaining but surly she must be starting to resemble a pin cushion by now.”

He looked over at her and back at the baby’s legs who did have the odd dot here and there “oh well, would you rather her be a corpse?”

Harley frowned, “I’d rather her be better”

“All in good time.” He then turned to leave but stopped when the baby let out a small cough. Harley and Joker shared a quick look as if silently asking if they heard the same thing, then the baby coughed again. Harley quickly climbed of the bed and scurried over to join him in looking down at her as she continued.

“Oh no” Joker muttered as she then scrunched up her small face.

Harley gasped with excitement and grabbed Jokers arm “Oh my god is she gonna-,” she didn’t even get to finish her sentence as the baby finally began to cry for the first time. It was loud, louder than they thought it would be. It was a screeching croaky sound that had them both flinch at the ear deafening pitch of it, her arms and legs flailed in the air as her intense wailing grew louder.

Once the excitement died down, panic began to set in. “Wha- what do we do!?” Harley blurted out as she looked up at The Joker.

“I don’t know! I hadn’t got to this part yet, I momentarily forgot that this was even what they did all day!” he shouted back with equal panic over the screams.

“How could you forget?!”

“Because she hasn’t made any sounds so far, I wasn’t expecting her to just burst like a jack in the box!”

Harley growled as she looked around trying to think, she then quickly began shushing the child as loud as she could.

“Good idea!” The Joker praised before then chiming in.

“It’s not working!” Harley stressed as the cries continued.

The doctor hastily came rushing in at the commotions and stared at the arguing couple in front of the hysterical infant. “What do we do?!” Harley screamed in the doctor’s face once she noticed his presence.

“Have you tried picking her up?” he asked her calmly.

The two paused and narrowed their eyes at him. “you told us that wasn’t allowed!” Harley growled

“Well that was before she had began crying, crying is a good sign you see.” He then moved between the two and opened the case. “Whoever wants to hold her, sit down in that chair,” he then gestured to the red seat next to the NICU, Harley practically jumped in it before he even finished his sentence.

He gently lifted her out, trying not to catch her tubes on anything and handed her to her mother who was breathing heavily with excitement. She instantly wrapped her in her arms protectively and began to rock her, and to her and Jokers surprise it seemed to be working. Her cries slowly began to fade as if someone was turning the volume down, until she was just lying there, making the odd whimper.

“I’m holding her! I can’t believe I’m finally holding her!” Harley snuffled, “She’s so warm.”

The Joker laughed at her emotional state,

“Don’t you laugh, you have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment” she scolded with tears in her eyes.

“Oh I know Harley, believe me, but it’s still funny to watch” he then stroked the baby’s soft head.

“You better take a picture” she then demanded, as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I can’t wait to show it to everyone,” Harley smiled as he then showed her the result.

“Who’s everyone?” The Joker asked with a raised brow.

“Ivy, Celina and perhaps my sister” she smiled.

“Right” he spoke slowly as he then picked up the needle from earlier and left the room.

“I wonder what made her cry?” Harley pondered as she watched the baby doze off in her arms,

“If I had to guess it was probably the coughing,” The Joker answered as he re-entered, “for a first time experience I’m sure it’s quite unpleasant.”

“More than likely,” the doctor agreed. “I think we should put her back now,” Harley pouted as he then removed her from her arms and returned her to the case. “You should probably try breast feeding her later,”

Harley eyed him suspiciously, “what’s wrong with formula?”

Once the baby was secure he turned to her as if her question was a joke, “it doesn’t live up to breast milk standard no matter what the ads say, breast milk is best, especially if the baby is unwell or premature.”

Harley shrugged before standing up, “Okay then.”

The Joker then quickly left the room again, as if he had a light bulb moment. “That reminds me, he got you this” he spoke, returning with what looked like a baby bottle with a speakerphone as the lid in his hand.

“What the heck is that?” Harley asked in disgust.

He smiled at her deviously, “It’s a breast pump.”

Her eyes widened and she took a step back “Oh no, there is no way I’m using that thing.”

“This way you both can feed her,” the doctor coaxed her.

She continued to back up but The Joker moved closer “I don’t care, there is no way I’m attaching that thing to my breasts.”

“Oh yes you are,” he grinned.

She quickly dashed past him and out of the room, he laughed hysterically before eagerly running after her. The doctor then heard her shriek from presumably being grabbed as The Joker continued to laugh. “Hey, watch the stitches!” she screamed, “get that thing away from me!”

“Come on Harley, I can help you” he laughed evilly

“Don’t you dare, let me go!”

“Not until you make like a cow and get milking”

“You can’t make me!”

“Ooh, is that a challenge?”

“No it’s not!”

“I think it was!”

“Ahhhhhh!”

The commotion continued on from there until Harley must have broken free from his grasp momentarily, and ran upstairs so they were now out of ear shot.

She eventually did use the device later that evening, but that didn’t stop her from complaining the entire time. She wouldn’t stop going on about how weird it felt, and how much she didn’t like the sounds it was making.

She now watched moodily as The Joker sat in the armchair next to the NICU, holding the baby in his arms as he fed her. Seeing as Harley got to hold her first, it made sense that he gets to feed her first. Despite her frown; Harley did find the sight insanely cute as he looked so content in what he was doing.

She suddenly realised that none of this would be happening if it wasn’t for him; he saved Aprils life and even her own, he didn’t have to but he did anyway. The baby would be dead if he hadn’t of given into his temptations, he could have just watched her die but for some reason, thought her survival was worth more than her mother’s suffering. She climbed off the bed, approached him as he looked over from the baby, “this is gonna be some ride isn’t it Mr J?” she spoke softly, kissing him on the cheek.

“You don’t know the half of it toots, and I can’t wait to see what batsy thinks” he smiled as they both looked down at their child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for all the nice comments throughout this story, it's really helped me get through my writers block and get it finished, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it.


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